In the middle of winter in the sixth year of Yanxing in the Han Dynasty, Chen Chong was still quietly organizing and training the new army. In Xi County, the confrontation between Liang and Shu has reached the point where everyone is at war.
After Liu Fan occupied Wuzhangyuan, 120,000 Shu soldiers poured out of Baoxie Road one after another. Liu Fan did not march immediately. Instead, he accumulated supplies at the diagonal entrance and rested and reorganized his troops in the camp. His camp was lined up along the south bank of the Weishui River. Because Sichuan is rich in brocade, there are many flags in the army, almost every five people have a flag. When the north wind blows, thousands of flags flutter, stretching for more than 40 miles without end, which is very spectacular.
As for the Liang army, Jia Xu first led the Chang'an garrison to Yi County with Song Jian and the Emperor himself, and then recruited Han Sui, Ma Teng, Dong Cheng and other troops, leaving only about a thousand people to guard Shaanxi County. Lu Bu, Gao Shun and others The troops also withdrew from Hedong, and the troops of Li Kan and Huang Yan who were guarding Liangzhou also arrived one after another. They were also accompanied by the Baima Qiang Yang Teng, the Three Wolf Qiang Lei Ding, Rou Di Mangzhong, Lu Shui, Hu Yinjian, and Zhi from Wudu. Yuanduo, Wudu Qiang Fujian and others, together with nearly 100,000 people in Hezhong. Compared with the Shu army on the south bank, although the Liang army did not have so many banners, they did have a lot of cavalry. The horses galloped around the north bank day and night like a tide. The sound of neighing could be heard across the bank, and it had a unique atmosphere.
After Jia Xu arrived in Yi County, he first sent an envoy to Nan'an to deliver the message. The letter first traces the mutual contact between Shuo, Liang and Yi before August, in which both sides vowed to support the country and respect the emperor. Then he greatly praised Liu Yan's public spirit and ambition, and talked about the emperor's deep feelings for this, and specially made Liu Yan the king of Shu. A misunderstanding? If they retreated from Hanzhong, the imperial court could forget about it and still regard their family as a foreign vassal.
Liu Fan had really just learned about the imperial court's decision to confer the title of king. After all, the Han Dynasty was cut off, and the imperial envoys took the Yinping Road from Wudu to Shu, and happened to pass by Liu Fan's army. But he had no intention of retreating. He directly accepted the edict and dictated to the envoy: "How dare a group of remnants of Dong's thieves dare to speak out to help him? Back then, I was arrested in the prison of Dong's thieves when I was trying to save your majesty. They have all been discounted, where is Jia Wenhe? He is still working in the fields under Duan Zuan! [1]"
At this point, the generals of the Shu army burst into laughter. Liu Fan waited until everyone was quiet before continuing: "Go back and tell Lu Bu and Jia Xu that it's not me who is disloyal to the country, but it's them who said it first. If If I can surrender Sizhou to our army as I said three months ago, I may not be unable to fulfill the contract. I will attack Jinyang with him and hand over Bingzhou. If it still doesn't work, then there is nothing to talk about. Let's see the outcome on the sword! "
Jia Xu had no reaction after receiving the message. After all, this was expected. After conveying the opinions of the Shu army to the emperor, he commented: "Liu Yan and his son were spying on the artifact. If they went north this time, they would not have been defeated unless they were defeated by a horse." I'm willing to come back lightly." But Lu Bufang returned from Hedong in a hurry. He was very angry with the Shu army and sneered: "This kid is so arrogant, why do you need to say more? I will tie them up in two days and chop them all into pieces. Feed the eagle!" The emperor couldn't help but sigh after hearing the sound. Knowing that a war was inevitable, he could only reward the troops and encourage them, and then hurried back to Xijing.
But what is strange is that the Shu army traveled thousands of miles and consumed an incredible amount of food and fodder along the way, but Liu Fan ordered the army to guard the camp tightly and did not show any signs of engaging Lu Bu.
Everyone speculated that Liu Fandang also knew that if it were a normal joint battle, the Shu army would have more infantry and less cavalry, so our chances of victory would be good. But if we build strong walls and high fortresses and confront our army here to waste food and fodder, the result will be difficult to predict. After all, there has been no war in Shuzhong for several years, and it is a grain-producing land with abundant reserves. However, Guanzhong had previously mobilized more than 100,000 troops to Guandong, and much of the stored grain had been sent with them. This year's winter wheat harvest has failed again. If the stalemate continues until the end of next year, I am afraid it will be delayed. It can also drag our army to death!
Lu Bu believed this and was anxious about it. In the past two days, knights were sent several times to shout in front of the camp, trying to make a fight with Liu Fan. But no matter how he shouted, it was as if no one in the Shu military camp heard him. This further confirmed the previous conjecture. Lu Bu felt troubled for the first time and had to hold military meetings many times to discuss the strategy of directly attacking the Shu army camp with the Xiliang generals.
Unexpectedly, Han Sui and others had observed the camp on the south bank in advance and had secretly concluded that the Shu army was tightly guarded and the terrain was dangerous. If they attacked by force, the main attack area would suffer heavy casualties. Therefore, these Xiliang people thought: They and Lu Bu are just a temporary alliance. They can be rich and powerful together, but there is no need to risk their lives. As a result, Lu Budan said that he should attack the camp, and everyone agreed. But when he asked who was willing to lead the attack, no one responded. In addition, Lu Bu himself was unwilling to attack by force, and the situation became deadlocked again.
In the end, it was Jia Xu who came to the rescue and said that it was really difficult to attack the fortress, so it was better to think of other strategies. Then he analyzed the situation of the two armies and concluded that the Shu army would not be able to defend it because of the long food road. It would be better to send another surprise force to go around the sloping valley and attack its food and baggage. The Shu army would not be able to hold on for long. If Liu Fan decided not to withdraw, If we instead divide our troops to guard the grain road, the front camp will inevitably be empty. By then, it will not be too late to attack the camp. All the generals heard the words and praised him.
But before the candidates for the Qi soldiers were selected, strange rumors gradually began to appear in Guanzhong Sanfu.
Some people say that Liu Yan was once Chen Chong's lord, and Liu Fan also had a close relationship with him. Therefore, the Shu army went north this time to avenge Chen Chong, and the old troops of Sili Mansion would reuse him; others said that the new Shangshu Ling Jia Xu He thought that the new general Lü Bu was domineering and had a previous regicide, so the two were extremely at odds. Jia Xu had repeatedly advised the emperor to remove Lü Bu; some also said that Lü Bu was resentful of the defeat at Fengyi Mountain and had secretly cooperated with him. Liu Fan conspired to murder Han Sui, Ma Teng, and Song Jian, and took the opportunity to annex their tribes; as for other rumors about Qiang and Di changing their formations and Dong Cheng being dissatisfied, they are countless and too numerous to count. It is difficult to tell the truth. .
When Liang Jun discussed the general strategy at the military meeting again, almost half of the people attending the meeting were reduced: Han Sui said he was ill, Dong Cheng came alone, and Qiang Di was mostly absent. Faced with such a situation, everyone was suspicious and naturally did not know what to say at the meeting. It took a long time to reach a conclusion.
Two days later, Liu Fan actually sent an envoy to the camp, saying that he would make an appointment with the Liang army to fight. Lu Bu was overjoyed and agreed immediately. Unexpectedly, before returning to the camp, the envoy openly sent gifts of gold and silver to the generals, and also attached letters. By so blatantly trying to win over the enemy's hearts, it stands to reason that the generals should capture the envoy immediately to prove their innocence. But for some unknown reason, after everyone received the letter, they looked at each other without saying a word and allowed the messenger to leave.
Seeing this situation, Jia Xu screamed in his heart that something was not good. He hurriedly went to discuss with Lu Bu and said: "The morale of the army is already in chaos. If we raise the army again now, I am afraid that we will be premature and everything will not be accomplished. The top priority is no longer a war, so we should temporarily suspend the army. Let’s follow Zhou Yafu’s old wisdom.”
In his words, he had already made a plan: after most of the troops withdraw to Chang'an, Han Sui and others can also withdraw from Chencang. The Shu army will inevitably face a choice, whether to attack Chencang or Chang'an. No matter which city they attack, their flanks will be exposed. For the other army, this is a good opportunity to win.
However, Lu Bu not only refused to listen, but instead asked him sideways: "The country has a lot of land and a lot of money, but Wen He abandoned it like a straw. What's the reason? Not long after we became the general, we let the Shu thieves encircle Xijing. All the princes should be How to discuss it? How to appease people’s hearts?”
He already had a plan in mind, and without waiting for Jia Xu to say more, he continued: "Since we have made an appointment with the bandits, we should not miss the date. Even if Han Sui and others are timid in fighting, my men and yours will total 60,000 people. Moreover, there are many fast horses in the army, which are unparalleled in all directions. Even if the strength of those pig-herding boys in Shu is ten times that of mine, they are just a ragtag crowd. How can they compete with us?"
When he said this, his tone couldn't help but become excited, and he continued: "Besides, some people are just looking at the situation. As long as I break through the enemy's formation and make the Shu army retreat, the generals will see that I have a chance to win, and they will definitely come out to fight for the merit." , then we can expect to defeat the enemy!"
Jia Xu's face was slightly gloomy and he just asked: "So what if we don't win?"
Lu Bu replied casually: "If we can't rush forward, then we can just retreat. Can they catch up?"
Seeing that Lu Bu was determined to fight, Jia Xu couldn't say anything more, so he just cupped his hands and left.
When Gao Shun heard that the two of them had broken up so unhappy, he was extremely worried. He secretly advised Lu Bu: "Jia Jun's wisdom is the best in the court. If the general doesn't use his tactics, it's fine. Why should he be against him?" ?”
When Lu Bu heard this, he raised his eyes and replied: "Although Jia Xu is very wise, he lacks courage. He only knows how to act after making a decision, but how can things be so comprehensive? If he doesn't move until he has a very good chance of winning, then what's the point? Xiang Jui should be ready to be captured while he is in Pengcheng." Gao Shun had nothing to say about this, but only Lu Bu himself knew whether this was the true meaning in Lu Bu's heart.
The plan had been decided, and Lu Bu immediately prepared intensively for the battle. As soon as he got busy, the days and nights flew by like water, and soon it was the eve of the battle. After Lu Bu had dinner, he left his armor and stomach to be cleaned by his attendants. He then went to the stable to feed the horses. After adding fodder twice himself, he fell asleep early. When I woke up, the sky was still black and blue, and there were stars twinkling on the top of the mountain, like the eyes of the sky wind.
Before the starlight was extinguished, the ice mist slowly rose, and nearly a hundred thousand Liang troops moved out. They slowly crossed the river ice in the gradually whitening dawn and approached the Shu army camp on the south bank.
There was no wind in the vast mist. The Liang army lined up step by step, with their heartstrings tensed, anxiously awaiting the coming battle. But until the sun broke through the morning fog, there was no sound of the military formations moving on the south bank. Lu Bu felt very strange, and hesitated for a long time, so he sent people to the south camp to investigate the situation.
Half an hour later, the scout came back with panic on his face. He dismounted and reported: "General, the south camp is silent. When I looked closer, there was no one left." Lu Bu was also shocked and asked for details. He said anxiously that they had inquired with the people around them, and they all said that they had heard the sound of footsteps like a tide in the middle of the night, and they might have gone east!
east? Lu Bu was suspicious for a moment, then suddenly realized, and then broke out in a cold sweat: The Shu army should abandon the army and go straight to Chang'an!
[1] Liu Fan comes to the rescue: See Chapter 35 of Volume 7 [Guanshan Difficult to Cross] [Chang'an is Weird].
