After careful thinking and accurate calculations, Xia Houmao planned to send troops.
After all, even if he is defeated by Zhuge Liang, as long as he escapes quickly, there is still a possibility of survival, but if he disobeys orders on the battlefield, he will definitely die!
"Don't worry, General You has made careful arrangements. Defeating the Shu army will not be a problem. You just need to follow the orders and that's enough!"
"Then where will our army send troops?"
"Take Didao, bypass Beiyuan, capture Jicheng, and cut off the Shu army's food route."
"What?"
Xia Houmao's eyes widened and he was shocked, as if he couldn't believe his ears, and asked hurriedly: "Is there any mistake? You asked me to lead a group of defeated soldiers and go deep into the rear to cut off the Shu army's food route?"
Xia Houmao never expected that the right general Zhang He would entrust him with such a difficult task.
Why didn't he simply let himself lead a group of old, weak, sick and disabled people to raid Chengdu and capture Liu Chan?
It’s just a few random commands!
The messenger comforted him: "General Xiahou, don't worry. The right general has determined that the Shu army is short of food and clothing, and the soldiers have low fighting spirit. They can only use 20% of their combat power. In addition, the right general has led the army from Jieting. Attract the Shu army’s attention.”
"If you can capture Jicheng in this battle, you will have achieved great success."
"But I also have to accept it!"
Xia Houmao's mouth was full of bitterness, but he regained his confidence a little and said worriedly: "What should we do if our army is frustrated when attacking Jicheng?"
"Don't worry, it doesn't matter even if you can't capture Jicheng." The messenger smiled and said: "If you can't cut off the Shu army's food route, then attack the food route to keep the Shu army under logistical pressure, so that the right general can defeat the Shu army head-on. "
"good!"
Xia Houmao finally regained his confidence and gained the confidence to speak. He prayed: "I also hope that the right general can win..."
The messenger laughed. According to the right general's arrangement, the Shu army had only one way to lose.
Because General You has prepared five sets of battle plans, each of which can take Zhuge Liang's head!
What did the Shu army use to fight?
He consoled loudly: "At this time, the Shu army is at the end of its war effort. In front of our powerful Wei army, it is like a mantis trying to use its arms as a chariot and not overestimating its own capabilities!"
Soon, Xia Houmao led his army to attack.
As a mature and steady general, Xiahou Mao led his army not to take the official route, but to take the rugged winding path, hoping to bypass the Shu army's spies and then make a surprise attack on Jicheng.
After all, this is how success is possible!
Xia Houmao was cautious and walked very slowly. He sent a large number of scouts to explore the situation within a ten-mile radius.
What made him gratified was that along the way, he did not encounter any spies from the Shu army, nor did they encounter any resistance from the Shu army. They seemed to... really bypass the Shu army's defenses and penetrate deep into the rear.
Xia Houmao was so excited that tears filled his eyes. What kind of bullshit luck is this? He could lead a group of mediocre soldiers to accomplish such a great feat.
The last general who could travel thousands of miles and directly attack the enemy's lair was the champion Hou Huo Qubing!
"We...do we really have a chance of success?"
Xia Houmao was lying on a hillside, looking at Jicheng in the distance. The spies had just reported that Jicheng was not big, the walls were low, and there were not many soldiers stationed inside. They seemed to be still busy.
This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!
If he captured Jicheng in one fell swoop, he would have accomplished a remarkable feat!
This event will be recorded vividly in the history books.
At this moment, Xia Houmao no longer had fear in his heart, but was replaced by huge ecstasy. He immediately returned to the military camp and loudly said: "The Shu army invaded Yongliang and Liang, rode on our heads and shit, killed our people, and robbed us." If Emperor Taizu Wu is still here, what will he do?"
"Kill the Shu army!"
Xia Houmao was worried about exposing his army, so he had no time to rest and launched a surprise attack at dawn the next morning. Thousands of soldiers rushed towards Jicheng under the cover of night.
The soldiers' shouts of killing were so loud that they quickly alerted the Shu troops on the city wall. They looked into the distance and saw black spots one after another, endless and far away.
"Enemy attack, enemy attack!"
The soldiers shouted, and some soldiers beat war drums, which spread throughout the city.
However, the Shu army had no time to react. The Wei army led by Xiahou Mao had already reached the city. The city wall was low, only half a foot. They didn't even need to set up a ladder, but the two of them cooperated with each other to rush up the city wall.
Soon, more and more Wei troops rushed up the city wall. They waved their weapons and rushed towards the Shu army. They quickly opened up an open space, and the Wei troops below continued to surge up.
The moment the two sides met, the soldiers began to fight. The shouts of killing were mixed with blood, and people were constantly beaten, impaled, and shot down.
However, the Shu army was obviously unable to cope with the situation and began to retreat steadily under the powerful offensive of the Wei army.
The Wei army's military morale was greatly boosted, and they shouted loudly and dug a bloody path towards the Shu army, especially because the Shu army on the city wall was poorly defended, and the subsequent Shu army had not yet caught up.
This also gave Wei Jun a great opportunity.
"Come on!"
"Block, block! Our army is coming!"
After fighting for half an hour, the Shu army was gradually losing ground, and some people began to flee in fear. One person spread the word to ten, and the other spread to hundreds. More and more people fled, and even turned into a rout.
Seeing the defeat of the Shu army, Xia Houmao in the distance grinned and even laughed.
"Victory... is so simple."
But he didn't dare to be careless. After all, the Shu army was notoriously treacherous, so he quickly issued an order to stop pursuing the enemy, attack the city, and quickly control the city's food, grass and baggage.
And relying on Jicheng, the city defense was re-established to prevent it from being captured again by the Shu army.
After about two hours, the shouts of killing in the city became weaker and even gradually disappeared. Soldiers covered in blood came to report and had taken control of all the food, grass and baggage in the city.
Xia Houmao nodded. Under the leadership of his soldiers, he saw the Shu army's granary. The grain and grass had basically run out, and the baggage was only broken.
He never dreamed that capturing Jicheng would be so easy, even with the loss of less than 500 troops.
Why did the Shu army become so weak?
Xia Houmao frowned. After thinking for a long time, he couldn't think of the reason. He had successfully cut off the Shu army's route of transporting grain and grass according to the order of the right general.
The army led by Zhuge Liang has become water without a source and a tree without roots.
Even if Zhuge Liang has extraordinary power, he is unlikely to cause any trouble. He only needs to guard Jicheng and wait for the good news of General Right's victory over Zhuge Liang.
"Perhaps... since the Shu army was defeated in Jieting, the whole army was thinking about how to retreat, and they lost their fighting spirit, so they were not prepared enough for Jicheng."
Xia Houmao found a suitable reason and immediately ordered his soldiers to place the wounded soldiers, build fortifications, and investigate the surrounding situation.
And he himself immediately wrote a letter, which clearly stated the situation in Jicheng, and then asked the messenger to travel all day and night to deliver it to the right general Zhang He.
At the same time, the defeated Shu army from Jicheng gathered together. Their general was named Gao Xiang. He looked at the many soldiers and ordered: "You divide into four teams and set off towards Shangbang to join the prime minister's army."
A general reminded worriedly: "Now that we have lost Jicheng, this is a big sin. Will the Prime Minister punish us?"
"Don't worry, the Prime Minister will never blame you!"
Gao Xiang smiled. He didn't care about losing Jicheng at all. After all, the prime minister had sent someone to explain a few days ago that if the Wei army sent troops to attack, the defenders of Jicheng would feign defeat.
Although he was confident that he could repel the invading Wei army, since the prime minister ordered it, he would pretend to be defeated and let these Wei soldiers gradually become arrogant and unable to recognize their true strength.
Only in this way will they send troops and confront the Prime Minister head-on.
Although the right general is Zhang He, he is a veteran general who has been on the battlefield for many years and is the backbone of Wei.
But... so what does it matter.
The person facing him is the omnipotent Prime Minister!
In these days, since Zhang He sent troops from Jieting, the Shu army and the Wei army have been fighting continuously, with each other winning and losing.
The Shu army suffered many defeats, and the Wei army continued to advance, shrinking the Shu army's territory into smaller and smaller areas.
However, Zhang He, who was sitting in the tent, still seemed to be in no rush to attack. He was particularly comfortable at this time. The generals around him were a little unable to sit still: "General Right, why don't you press forward with all your strength?"
"Yes, the Shu army is at the end of its tether now. Our army is stronger than theirs, and our weapons are sharper than theirs. We can destroy the Shu army in one fell swoop!"
Zhang He glanced at him and said dissatisfied: "Although the Shu army is retreating, it is not without the power to fight back. Our army has a steady stream of food and grass to support it. It can slowly surround the Shu army and kill it, so why bother to fight so hard?" What if we fight in vain and lose our troops?"
"Besides, the longer the fighting lasts, the more disadvantageous it will be to the Shu army. They are besieged and their will is constantly weakening. Even if they want to withdraw, it will not be that easy."
Zhang He squinted his eyes, and he calculated countless times in his mind. No matter which calculation he made, the result was that the entire Shu army was annihilated.
The reason is that the Shu army cannot sustain its food supply!
At this moment, a veteran messenger rode a fast horse, revealed his identity, and entered the camp. Then he got off his horse and almost fell down due to fatigue. Soldiers quickly supported him and rushed into the camp.
"Reporting to General Right, Xiahou Governor Mao Guo has captured Jicheng. This is his personal letter to you!"
"Send it over quickly!"
A guard took the letter and quickly handed it to Zhang He. Zhang He opened the letter and looked at it for a few times, with uncontrollable ecstasy on his face: "Haha, the Shu army is about to end. Villager Zhuge, this time, I won!"
Zhang He stood up, drew his sword, and ordered: "Be prepared...the time to annihilate the Shu army is finally coming!"
