Pang De led the Huben cavalry camp with 20,000 men, Wei Yan led the Zhuque cavalry camp with 20,000 men, and Ma Chao led the Qinglong cavalry camp with 20,000 men.
Wang Shuang's Wild Lion Military Camp did not come because they were infantry and stayed at Yang'an Pass. He followed Gan Ning and led a thousand cavalry to Chang'an.
Three days later.
Zhang Xiu personally led 60,000 cavalry and generals, and marched to Chang'an, heading straight to Nanyang.
As the general manager of the shadow guards, Li Ru also followed the army this time. He kept in touch with me at all times to obtain the exact marching route of Liu Bei's army.
Speaking of which, Liu Bei is really stubborn.
After setting off from Nishan, we rode day and night without stopping, bypassing Cao Cao's army, heading west, directly to the front of the Funiu Mountains, and then walked south along the foot of the mountain, passing by Duyang He dared not enter the city.
Who doesn't know that Cao Cao suffered a big loss from Zhang Xiu in Duyang City, and with the re-construction of Duyang City, it was impregnable. Liu Bei, who had a difficult journey, had no intention of wasting his time with Zhang Xiu. If Cao Cao knew his position , will definitely come after him, he doesn’t want to be attacked from both sides.
After passing Duyang City is Tongbai Mountain.
There is a peak between Tongbai Mountain and Dabie Mountain, called Jigong Mountain. There is a valley at the foot of the mountain. Through this valley, you can enter the Jianghan Plain, and then go up the Han River to reach Xiangyang.
At this time, Liu Bei didn't know that Liu Biao had launched an attack on Zhang Xiu. If he had known, he would have attacked Duyang City directly. Of course, it was fortunate that he didn't know, otherwise he would have collided head-on with Zhang Xiu's army.
When Liu Bei passed by Duyang City, Zhang Xiu led an army of 60,000 to Nanyang.
When the people of Pangshan learned that Zhang Xiu had led the army, they were overjoyed and hurried back to Wancheng from the front line, leaving Chen Wu to stay. Ding Feng and Ma Ming accompanied him to Wancheng.
"Lord!"
Seeing Zhang Xiu, Pang Shanmin was so excited that he burst into tears and choked up when speaking.
This cannot be blamed on Pang Shanmin for being hypocritical. As a civil servant, he had never experienced a war, and the war he had experienced was such a tragic and dangerous one. If Chen Wu and Ding Feng had not been strong enough to stabilize the battle line, I am afraid that the city would have been unprotected. Life is in danger.
Zhang Xiu knew very well that it was not easy for Pang Shanmin. It was not easy for him to hold on until now with a group of new recruits. He immediately got off his horse, helped him up, and comforted him affectionately: "As expected of Pang Degong's son, your adaptability and quick organization ability are outstanding in this battle." Fully displaying it shows that I am not wrong about the person, you are indispensable for the battle of Nanyang."
After receiving the affirmation from his lord, Pang Shanmin was extremely excited. His hard work over the past few days had finally paid off.
"Now that my lord is here, I can feel at ease. Wenpin has led his army to defend Huishui Bay, and Pang Canjun has surrounded Xiangyang City. As long as we fight on both sides, we will win this battle." Ma Ming showed up for the first time, Seeing how kind Zhang Xiu was to others, she mustered up the courage to say something.
Zhang Xiu saw the speaker.
He is more than seven feet tall, has a wheat-colored face, a high nose, is quite handsome, and has a burly build. He is a good general. He immediately thought of Ma Ming, the guard he assigned to Duyang City.
So he smiled and said: "If I remember correctly, you are the former Nanyang stall owner and the current Duyang City guard, Ma Ming, General Ma." Since Ma Ming has no character, Zhang Xiu can only call him general from now on.
Ma Ming did not expect that since the superior lord remembered his name, he immediately became excited: "General Ma Ming, please see my lord." When he said this, he knelt down on one knee.
Zhang Xiu helped him up and said with a smile: "Yes, yes, Xiang Man did not misjudge the person. He is a good young man. After this battle, he will be rewarded based on his merits."
"Here." Ma Ming was overjoyed.
"My lord, I'm afraid that the purpose of coming to Nanyang is not for Liu Jingzhou!" Pang Degong next to him saw the generals gathering behind him and knew that the purpose of this visit was definitely not Liu Biao.
After all, Liu Biao had been attacking Nanyang for so long. Seeing that the advantage of the battle was leaning against them, there was no need for Zhang Xiu to come. Since he came, it was definitely not for Liu Biao, otherwise there would be no need to wait until now. More importantly, Li Ru unexpectedly came with him.
Zhang Xiu looked at Li Ru with a smile and said, "Pang Degong is worthy of being Pang Degong. He revealed the mystery in one sentence."
Li Ru smiled and said, "How about we take Duke Pang De to Chang'an after this battle?"
Pang Degong smiled and said: "Wen You, there is no need to tease me. What else can I do with my old body? Just don't tease me."
Pang Shanmin asked doubtfully: "Lord, if it's not Liu Biao, are there other enemy troops?"
Zhang Xiu said: "You go back quickly, stay at Huishui Bay, and make the illusion that I am coming. I will lead the army to your camp in the afternoon and leave tonight to ambush the enemy elsewhere." Who is Jun? This is a top secret, so don’t ask any more questions.”
"Here!"
Pang Shanmin did not dare to ask any more questions and immediately took Ma Ming back to the military camp.
That night.
The sound of horses neighing during the civil war in the military camp resounded through the night sky, war flags were hunting, people were shouting, dense torches illuminated the entire camp, and the surface of the earth shook under the hooves of the war horses.
Zhang Xiu led an army of 60,000 people into the military camp with a high profile, allowing the enemy troops in Huishui Bay to see clearly. Zhang Xiu even showed up to inspect the military situation in person.
In Huishui Bay.
Wenpin's face was ugly. Standing at a high place, he could clearly see that the enemy camp was full of war horses and full of battle flags, especially Zhang Xiu's banner, which was raised high and flying in the night sky.
Zhang Xiu's arrival cast a shadow in the hearts of all the Jingzhou soldiers. The previous recruits had beaten them to the point of running away. Now that Zhang Xiu has led the army himself, do they still have a way to survive?
The only way to survive is to go back.
But Xiangyang was also surrounded by Zhang Xiu's troops.
At the third watch, Zhang Xiu led the army to sneak out of the military camp and headed towards Tongbai Mountain.
Dahu Banner was left in the military stronghold, as well as three thousand war horses. He also asked Pangshan people to bundle thousands of straw horses with straw to confuse the enemy.
The mountain road in Tongbai Mountain is difficult to travel, and it is dark at night. It is not possible to light a fire, so people are walking in the dark. Fortunately, they sent people to explore the road before, so they will not get lost.
The peaks of Tongbai Mountain are very high and steep. Even the local mountain people rarely walk alone in the mountains. After all, the raptors and beasts here are not vegetarians.
Zhang Xiu led the horse and walked in the front. There were uneven stones and branches under his feet. Fortunately, he was protected by his armor, so he would not be scratched. Behind him, Gan Ning and Hu Che'er followed, always looking at them with vigilance. Look around, beware of wild beasts.
Their team was large and there were many people. After a night passed, no wild beasts attacked anyone. When the belly of the fish in the east was white, they walked out of the mountain forest and arrived at their intended destination, Jigong Mountain.
Jigong Mountain is the dividing line between Tongbai Mountain and Dabie Mountain. There is a trail in the middle. According to the information provided by the shadow guard, Liu Bei will arrive at the foot of Jigong Mountain tomorrow night. Zhang Xiu's purpose is to lay a dragnet on Jigong Mountain to capture Liu Bei's army. Annihilate them all here, and avoid future troubles forever.
Of course, the three generals Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, and Zhao Yun are difficult to deal with and require careful planning.
The first two and Liu Bei are life and death brothers, and it is impossible to survive. Only Zhao Yun is not Liu Bei's direct descendant. Although he has the kindness of knowing him, Zhang Xiu has a way to make him work for him, but he can survive.
