On the Qingxu side, Jiangdong is thinking about how to withdraw troops, while on the Meixian side, Liu Bei is now anxious on how to advance troops quickly.
Encountering heavy snow blocking the road, he was unable to immediately lead his troops into Sanfu and threatened Chang'an. Liu Bei always felt uneasy in his heart.
"This Northern Expedition has been going smoothly since the troops were launched in Hanzhong. Countless bandits were wiped out in the Battle of the Weishui River. This is God's blessing for the Han Dynasty. Now that the Han Dynasty is looking at its old capital, it snows heavily to help the bandit army. Is it possible?"
One thing to say is that when Liu Bei faced the temptation of Chang'an, he somewhat lost his sense of normalcy and seemed to worry about gains and losses.
But for this matter, you really can't blame Liu Bei. After all, it was Chang'an, the old capital of the Han Dynasty.
The goal of reviving the Han Dynasty was Liu Bei's lifelong ideal. He struggled for more than 40 years.
And Liu Bei is not a pure idealist. He is also a warlord in troubled times. He understands the difficulties of reality very well. With the current situation of three pillars, it is estimated that it is unlikely that he can truly conquer the Central Plains and revive the Han Dynasty in his lifetime.
Then, for Liu Bei, the only choice is to choose a goal that he can see and achieve as a realistic goal.
Obviously, regaining Chang'an, the old capital of the Han Dynasty, is the goal that currently seems most likely to be achieved.
In addition, this Northern Expedition was obviously a hasty launch of troops, but it went very smoothly in all aspects. This made Liu Bei think that this was destiny, and God was going to bring about three great men.
But at such a critical moment, a heavy snowfall blocked Liu Bei's way into Sanfu, giving the Wei thieves time to gather the remaining troops and retreat to Chang'an. What do you want Liu Bei to think? !
After all, Liu Bei is a man of this era, and he cannot help but believe in these signs that are similar to destiny. In addition, he is over sixty years old, and he does not have the courage to fight against fate like when he was young. It is inevitable to worry about gains and losses.
But the problem is, this is really inappropriate to say from Liu Bei's mouth now.
Today, Liu Bei is the commander of the army. People in the military camp are full of talk. If someone spreads this word later, it is hard to say whether it will shake the morale of the army.
Therefore, Pang Tong quickly dissuaded him and said, "Why did your Majesty say this?! There is no sure-win battle when using troops to fight. It all depends on the general's planning. What does the soldiers' lives have to do with destiny?!"
What Pang Tong said was very firm and very reasonable, but it didn't sound very good.
Otherwise, Liu Bei likes Fazheng. If Fazheng was present, he would never be like Pang Tong, telling the truth.
Back at Dingjun Mountain, Liu Bei was commanding the enemy to kill them at the top. He wanted to brave the rain and command the battle. Look at what Fa Zhen told him. He just went up on his own and stood in front of Liu Bei. He told Liu Bei that if he wanted to die, I would die first. die.
In the end, didn't Liu Bei obediently obey Fazheng's advice and retreat?
When Pang Tong said this, Liu Bei felt a little helpless.
Fortunately, Zhuge Liang also went out with the army this time. When he saw that Liu Bei was a little unable to get off the stage, he hurriedly sent him up the steps and said, "In the past, when King Wu attacked Zhou, it rained heavily, and the three hexagrams asked about the sky were all unlucky. However, King Wu defeated him with one force. Finally defeated the Shang Dynasty. It can be seen that the changes in the sky are unpredictable, so there is no need to worry, my lord."
Zhuge Liang moved out the founding kings like King Wu of Zhou. It can be said that he gave Liu Bei enough face, and the examples he gave were just right. When Liu Bei heard this, he quickly got off the road and said, "The words of the two military advisors are very good. I worry too much."
The steps have been taken, but the problem is still not solved.
"In the opinion of the two military advisors, when can we send troops to Chang'an?!"
There must be a solution to this matter, and it won't be a problem if it continues like this.
The longer the delay, the more complete the defenses of the Wei army in Chang'an will be, and the longer it will take to attack the city. Our food and grass are not enough.
The preparations for this Northern Expedition were indeed very hasty. Liu Ba and Fazheng were in Hanzhong to review the logistics. They only prepared about half a year of food and grass. Now nearly half of it has been consumed.
For a fortified city like Chang'an, even if we pursue the victory and defeat the Wei army without being prepared, it will be difficult to defeat the heavy snow within two or three months. With such a delay, we may not know when the attack will end. .
Even if a large amount of grain and grass were harvested in Mei County as a supplement, the grain and grass would only last for about two months for an army of 60,000 to 70,000 people, which could last Liu Bei until this summer. Once Chang'an cannot be captured before summer, then Liu Bei will We can only retreat to Hanzhong and make other plans.
Such a good situation may be ruined.
So, Liu Bei is anxious because he is anxious, and he is worried because he is worried. He really has a reason to be anxious.
Zhuge Liang and Pang Tong were actually worried about this matter.
Even Liu Bei could think of something. Could it be that the two military advisors who were responsible for advising people on strategies could not see it? !
But the problem is still the same. It has been snowing intermittently for almost a month. Even if it stops snowing from now on, it will still take about half a month to wait for the snow to melt to the point where we can march.
In other words, if you want to advance to the third auxiliary, it must be after late January at the earliest. In such a long time, as long as the Chang'an defender is not a fool, he should be able to make the necessary preparations for city defense.
The most important thing is that with the size of Cao Wei, they really have to fight tooth and nail with the Han in Guanzhong. If they defend Chang'an, even if they may not win, they can beat Guanzhong to pieces and leave the Han with a rotten Guanzhong. It can still be done.
The land of Guanzhong, after four hundred years of changes in the Han Dynasty, was already somewhat dilapidated. It was Cao Cao who pieced it all together and managed to put it back together. If this was a bad war, Guanzhong would at least return to the Mahahan Rebellion. If you are unlucky, you may go back to the time of Dong Zhuo's Rebellion.
These two are actually in a hurry.
But it's useless to be anxious. It's impossible to send troops in this kind of weather. Even if the soldiers are forced to send troops in the snow, the logistics and supplies can't keep up. Even if the troops approach Chang'an, it's just the end of the war. Maybe there will be another war. fail.
So there's no point in rushing, I can only wait patiently.
It is not easy for these two people. While they have to figure out the march route after the snow melts, how to divide the defenders of Chang'an City, and how to use troops to fight, they also have to try their best to appease Liu Bei's anxiety and make Liu Bei calm and calm. Don't be impatient and use troops.
As for Liu Bei, Liu Bei also knew that what Zhuge Liang and Pang Tong did was the right thing.
Now the situation of the Han army is very good. After the Wei army was defeated, the Sanfu area has opened the door. What needs to be done at this time is to stay calm and fight steadily. The final result will not be too bad.
Originally, Liu Bei had been persuaded by Zhuge Liang and Pang Tong, and was prepared to be patient and wait until the snow melted before sending troops.
At this time, a memorial and battle report were sent from Wugong County.
Well, it was written by Zhang Xi.
It is not a new thing for Zhang Xi to send a memorial to Liu Bei, but it is strange for Zhang Xi to send a battle report to Liu Bei at this time.
Since Zhang He was seriously injured and Wang Chang led the army to withdraw from Zuo Fengyi, it stands to reason that there should be no more threats from the Wei army in Wugong County. It was somewhat surprising that Zhang Xi sent a battle report at this time.
At first, Liu Bei thought that Zhang He had left and returned, but if he thought about it carefully, if Zhang He had left and returned, he should not have retreated from Wugong County in the first place.
As a result, when Liu Bei opened the battle report and took a look, he became anxious.
Zhang Xi told Liu Bei in the battle report that he had finished resting the entire army and planned to leave a thousand men to garrison Wugong County. He would lead the remaining 13,000 soldiers to attack Zuo Fengyi to attract the attention of the Chang'an garrison and send troops to Liu Bei. Directly attack Youfufeng to create opportunities.
Liu Bei was not surprised at all that Zhang Xi wanted to send troops at an opportunity.
Since Zhang Xi was allowed to lead the army and be stationed in Wugong County and form a separate army, Liu Bei would naturally leave Zhang Xi with the right to make arbitrary decisions when the opportunity arises.
Whether Zhang Xi sends troops or sticks to his position, it is nothing out of the ordinary.
What really worried Liu Bei was that the battle report sent by Zhang Xi included a picture, which recorded a vehicle that could walk on the snow.
Not only are they used by single people, but most importantly, they are used by vehicles.
Well, that is, a sled.
In fact, although Zhang Xi drew a drawing for Liu Bei to use the sled for one person, after Zhang Xi's actual testing, it turned out that without some time, the soldiers could not master the balance at all, and it could not be used for large-scale marches. .
Zhang Xi also made this clear to Liu Bei in the battle report.
Therefore, what is really important is the kind of sled that can be equipped on a cart.
In fact, it is not right to call it a sled. Zhang Xi was only responsible for providing the idea, which was to lock the wheels of the cart, put a smooth and wide hardwood board underneath, and use horses or donkeys to pull it in front, so that the grain and grass could be transported. Vehicles drive on snow.
Zhang Xi actually tried this thing, and it may not last long. He may have to replace the hardwood board after traveling ten miles, but it can still be used.
As for marching and fighting in the snow, the real difficulty is not the soldiers.
Soldiers can march, but they have to resist freezing, and the marching speed will be a little slower. The real trouble is that the grain and grass carriage cannot travel on the snow. If you are not careful, you will fall into a pit and you can't push it. come out.
Now, with the method of transporting grain and grass in the snow, soldiers don't have to worry about logistics. It becomes possible to use troops in the snow without waiting for the snow to melt.
This time, it is equivalent to providing Liu Bei with a way to enter the third auxiliary as soon as possible and attack Chang'an. Liu Bei can't be in a hurry.
(End of chapter)
