It has been raining for days in Hanzhong, and it is also raining outside Nanzheng City. Outside the tightly defended camp, noisy footsteps can be heard from outside the tent. From time to time, the clanging sound of armor can be heard! That was the sergeant in charge of the guard doing a routine inspection.
What caught the eye was the light blue curtain on the top of the large tent of the Chinese army. There were bamboo slips and ink on the table. The large oil lamp struggled for a few times in the morning light and finally went out, leaving a wisp of green smoke.
"Hanzhong is located between the Guanzhong Plain and the Chengdu Plain, and there are two mountain ranges, the Qinling Mountains and the Daba Mountains, standing parallel to each other from east to west."
"The Qinling Mountains are high and steep, enough to serve as a barrier to the south of Guanzhong; Daba Mountain is thick and long, enough to serve as a barrier to the north of Bashu. Several valley roads pass through the mountains and become tunnels for north-south access. There is Wuguan at the east end of the Qinling Mountains and Sangguan at the west end..."
"There are also three valley roads that pass through the central part of the Qinling Mountains, serving as the passage between Hanzhong and Guanzhong, the Baoxie Road, the Tangluo Road, and the Ziwu Road. The Qinling Mountains are so high that every valley road is winding, deep and steep..."
"Although the enemy's numbers are superior to ours, our army's morale is high and its armaments are well-equipped, so we can attack by force."
"Of course, it would be great to be able to outwit and reduce casualties."
"Now Guanzhong has been captured by our army, and the road from Nanzheng to Guanzhong has been blocked. We only need to capture Yangping Pass in the west, and the entire Nanzheng will fall under our siege. At that time, we only need to besiege the city and The Qin army is trapped to death!"
"Nanzheng may be captured without spending a single soldier!"
In the Anqin Army camp outside Nanzheng City, Lu Cunxu, the captain of the forward battalion of the Anqin Army, pointed at the hanging sheepskin map and slowly analyzed the situation between the enemy and ourselves. The captains of the fifth battalion of the Anqin Army were kneeling on the ground on both sides. Listening to Lu Cunxu's analysis, while whispering and muttering below, Zhang Gui was stroking his chin in thought in the main seat.
Since receiving Xu Zongwen's promise, Zhang Gui, who was guarding Shangyong, finally couldn't help but send troops after learning that the Anqin army was in great strength and successfully marched into Hanzhong.
Because Shangyong's garrison lacked war horses, Zhang Gui could not achieve the same speed as before when he led the Tianshu camp. By the time he and his three thousand infantry arrived in Nanzheng, it was already a month later.
After listening to the analysis of the forward battalion commander Lu Cunxu, Feng Yi, the captain of the left battalion of the Anqin Army, also nodded: "Taking Yangping Pass can indeed make Nanzheng isolated and helpless, and it will also help us attack the city, but Yangping Pass is easy to defend and difficult to attack. If we don't stop, the Nanzheng defenders will send troops to attack me again. By then, won't the troops attacking Yangping Pass be caught in a double attack?"
"Yes, Mao Xing has 20,000 troops in his hands, and our six battalions combined only have more than 10,000 troops. If we fail to capture Yangping Pass and our attack on the city is frustrated, I am afraid that the morale of the army will be unstable and the hearts of the people will be unstable!" Feng Zhiyuan, the captain of the Zhongjian Battalion, said Take it for granted.
"Yes, this battle is different from the past, so you must be careful."
"Nanzheng City is high and deep. It is not easy to attack by force. It is difficult!"
…
"I wonder if the general has any clever ideas that can solve our army's current predicament?" Lu Wei, the captain of the rear guard battalion, asked Zhang Guifa, who was silent and deep in thought.
Zhang Gui was also thinking about how to seize Yangping Pass to cut off the Qin army's retreat and successfully capture Nanzheng, but how could it be so easy to come up with the result in such a short period of time?
"Although I have been thinking hard about good strategies for a long time, I still have found nothing. It is better for us to temporarily implement the strategy of tiring the enemy, pretend to attack Nanzheng, harass the Nanzheng defenders with wheel battles, and wait until the enemy's strength is no longer enough to see if we can attack the key point by force." Zhang Gui was filled with doubts and his thick eyebrows were furrowed.
"That's all it can do."
"Yes, let's test the strength of Nanzheng's defenders first, and then we can carefully discuss how to attack the city."
Xu Song, the captain of the right camp, and Lu Cunxu, the captain of the forward camp, both agreed. There is really no other way at the moment.
The only consolation is that the Qiaoqi Army has captured Chang'an. Mao Xing's way to escape from Hanzhong to Guanzhong has been blocked. His only way out is to surrender or fight to the death with the Anqin Army!
"In that case, please give the order, general!" The fifth captain stood up and asked for battle.
Zhang Gui's eyes were focused, and he seemed to be struggling with something in his heart, but when he looked at everyone, the expectant looks in the eyes of the captains made him more determined in his decision, and then he stood up and shouted loudly with great energy He said: "Okay! Thanks to your trust, you can entrust me with such an important task. Although I do not have the power to control the Anqin Army, in order for the Jin Dynasty to regain the Han Dynasty as soon as possible, I cannot retreat at this time!"
It was difficult to disobey the public opinion, so Zhang Gui had to step in and take over.
"Generals, obey the order!"
"exist!"
Next, Zhang Gui issued an order. Tomorrow, Feng Yi, the captain of the left camp, and Lv Cunxu, the captain of the forward camp, would take turns to attack the south gate of Nanzheng. Xu Song, the captain of the right camp, and Lu Ming, the captain of the rear camp, would pretend to attack the north gate. The mediocre troops took turns attacking and harassing the east gate, surrounding three and missing one, and deliberately left the west gate leading to Yangping Pass.
Taking advantage of this gap, Zhang Gui himself led a hundred personal guards to Yangping Pass to explore the situation and map the terrain along the way and the details of the defense of Yangping Pass.
"What's the matter?" Mao Xing let go of the military book in his hand, raised his head, and light shone into the room.
A fair-skinned man walked in. The man's face had sharp eyebrows that went straight into his bun. His eyes were as dark as ink, showing no emotion or anger.
Mao Xing was calm and restrained, and even more bookish.
"The king is here?"
Chief Shi Fu Tongcheng opened the door and said: "The sentry horse has reported that Jin general Zhang Gui has led the Yong army to Nanzheng."
Fu Tongcheng, the eldest son of the Qin clan, King Fu Chang of Yingchuan, was crowned King of Yingchuan. He was the elder brother of Fu Deng, Duke of Guangping in Xinping, and currently served as Mao Xing's cavalry general.
"Zhang Gui?" Mao Xing frowned slightly, "How many troops are there?"
Fu Tongcheng replied: "It is reported that they are all infantry, and there should be five thousand people."
"Just five thousand?" When Mao Xing heard this, the corners of his clear-cut lips slightly raised, and he chuckled: "I thought it was Xu Xiao who came in person!"
Fu Tongcheng sat down and said hurriedly: "General, it has been raining for days and the enemy has missed the best opportunity to attack Nanzheng. If we can go out of the city at night to attack..."
"No!" Mao Xing raised his hand and waved: "None of Xu Xiao's generals are incompetent, and there is little chance of success when they leave the city to attack the camp. Most of the Jin army outside the city are Qin people who surrendered to Xu Xiao. If not If Yong falls, they will not travel thousands of miles to come to Hanzhong."
"General, do you mean to instigate rebellion?" Fu Tongcheng was overjoyed. If the Anqin army could be made to defect before the battle, the siege of Nanzheng would naturally be solved! "
Unexpectedly, Mao Xing still shook his head: "It's not inciting rebellion, it's rebellion."
Seeing that Fu Tongcheng was puzzled, Mao Xing said slowly: "Since they have surrendered, it may not be easy to persuade them to surrender again. As the saying goes, suspicion breeds secrets, and the only way is to make countermeasures to let Zhang Gui confront the Anqin army. The generals are suspicious, as long as Zhang Gui and the Anqin army are at odds with each other, then we can defeat the Jin army without any effort!"
"The general is brilliant!" Fu Tongcheng came closer to the case, looking forward to Mao Xing's next words.
After that, Mao Xing carefully analyzed the interests and disadvantages for me, including the temperaments of the various battalion captains of the Anqin Army and Zhang Gui!
"The most important thing right now is that we must ensure that Yangping Pass is not lost. Otherwise, if Nanzheng is an isolated city, over time, even if the enemy does not attack the city, we will lose our hearts and minds, and eventually lose the strong city." After Xing finished speaking, he stood up and fumbled for a token from his large sleeve robe.
"Your Majesty, for the sake of Great Qin, for the late Emperor, and for the lives of you, me and the twenty thousand soldiers, Yangping Pass will be handed over to you!" Mao Xing lowered his head and presented the military talisman with both hands, with a hint of desolation in his tone.
Fu Tongcheng's eyes were solemn. He knew the importance of this moment and took the military talisman without hesitation: "General, please seat yourself in Nanzheng City. As long as the little king is here, there will be no loss at Yangping Pass!"
"Leave everything to the king!"
Looking at Fu Tongcheng's hastily leaving figure, through the rain curtain, Mao Xing bowed deeply...
