Chapter 244: The Battle of Yangping
It is said that the coalition forces of Chen Long and Ma Teng successfully crossed Chencang Road, and then divided their forces to attack Tianshui and Yangping Pass. Chen Long used Xun You and Xun Gongda's strategy to intimidate the enemy day and night, besieging the city and blocking three towers. The defender Liang Xing was so frightened that he led his troops to escape overnight. Chen Long occupied Tianshui City and established a logistics supply base for conquering Hanzhong.
The Qinling Mountains have been dangerous since ancient times. Without a strong and stable logistics supply base, it would be impossible to establish a supply line across the Qinling Mountains. Chencang is located in the transition zone between the Qinling Mountains, the Guanzhong Plain, and the Loess Plateau. The landscape is composed of mountains, plateaus, and rivers. The terrain is dangerous. Liu Bangming, the emperor of the Han Dynasty, built a plank road and secretly attacked Chencang. Zhuge Kongming's two expeditions to Qishan were blocked by Hao Zhao. Wu Jie, a famous general in the Southern Song Dynasty , the defeat of Jin Wushu by the Wu Phosphorus brothers and other major historical events all took place here. The city is small, lacks supplies, and is difficult to transport, so it is not a suitable supply base.
The terrain of Tianshui is high in the northwest and low in the southeast. Its name comes from the beautiful legend of "Tianhe fills with water". More than a thousand years ago, the Tianshui area was densely populated, with adjacent houses, "beautiful mountains and rivers, and dense forests." Da Qin established Shanggui City here. At the end of the Qin Dynasty and the beginning of the Han Dynasty, long-term wars and droughts made the people of Shanggui City miserable. One night, suddenly there was a strong wind, thunder and lightning, a golden light shone, and a red light appeared on the ground. Suddenly, the ground shook continuously, and a large crack opened amidst the loud rumbling sounds. I saw the river water pouring down from the sky and pouring into the large crack, forming a lake called "Tianshui Lake". The water level of this lake is stable, the water quality is pure, sweet and mellow. "It never dries up in spring, never overflows in summer, and is beautiful all year round." People say that this lake is connected to the Tianhe River, and they also call it "Tianshui Well". Later, this legend was heard by Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, and he named the newly established county by the lake in Shanbei City "Tianshui County". From then on, the name "Tianshui" came into being.
The Wei River originates from Niaoshu Mountain in Dingxi, flows through Tianshui, Chencang, Xianyang, Fufeng, Chang'an, Weinan and other places, and joins the Yellow River at Tongguan. Because the Qinling Mountains are high and the ravines are deep, only part of it is open to navigation. From Chencang to Tianshui, it is possible to sail boats, which provides a lot of convenience for the transportation of materials. Around Tianshui, in the Wei River Basin, the main river channel and its tributaries are criss-crossed, forming basins and valley terraces with alternating wide valleys and canyons. The soil is silt and meadow soil formed by impact and alluvial deposits in rivers and valleys. After reclamation and cultivation, it matures to form cultivated soil mainly composed of loess and black soil. Guocheng, mountains, rivers, and soil rely on each other to form a natural self-sufficient ecosystem. If it were not for the warlords' melee, they should have no worries about food and clothing.
In the city lord's palace in Tianshui, Chen Long was sitting on the grand master's chair, surrounded by a group of civil servants and military generals. Zhou Bujie has always been with Guo Jia. This time he was alone. He was quite unaccustomed to it. However, he was the first military advisor. He cleared his throat and spoke first: "Liang Xing is defeated, so he must turn to Han Sui for help. I intend to attack the north and west sides of Tianshui." That’s it, we choose dangerous places and set up strongholds and mountains to block the roads so that when the enemy invades, they will not be able to pass through.”
Chen Long nodded and said: "The terrain in the north is dangerous, five hundred soldiers are enough to guard the mountain pass, and use the beacon as a signal in case of trouble. To the west, Liu Xian is ordered to lead five thousand soldiers to defend, and focus on defense rather than attack."
Liu Xian is now the archer commander of a legion, leading thousands of troops. Hearing that his lord mentioned himself first, he hurriedly stood up and agreed. All the military advisers knew that Liu Xian was mature and prudent, so they had no objections.
Chen Long looked at Xu Shu and said: "In addition, the important task of defending the city and logistics will be handed over to Yuan Zhi. I will ask Liu Min to lead his own army of 10,000 people, plus Xian Liu's remaining 5,000 archers to help you, plus thousands of heavy civilians. All vehicles, oxen and horses are at your disposal." Xu Shu smiled and said, "Yes."
When Xun You saw his lord assigning tasks, he knew that he would be the main military advisor to attack Hanzhong. He had a long way to go. He felt warm in his heart. He stood up and said, "You are not talented. I am willing to lead the army as a vanguard and attack Hanzhong."
Chen Long said with great joy: "With Gongda as the vanguard, we will succeed immediately. I will order you and Zhang He to lead 20,000 troops as the vanguard, and I will lead the army to support you. Tomorrow, all the food and supplies will be in place, and we will set off immediately after selecting the troops. However, When fighting in this southwest, the most difficult thing is the movement and supply of the army. Gongda, let me tell you, what route do you want to take and how to attack?"
Xun You was confident. He took the map from Zhou Buyi, threw it on the table, pointed to a marked Xiongguan Pass and said: "This is the Yangping Pass, the gateway to the north of Hanzhong. It is easy to defend but difficult to attack. Ma Teng and his son have more than 20,000 cavalry. , lack of siege equipment, it will be difficult to break through this attack."
Yangping Pass, also known as Yang'an Pass, is located in the mountains, with Jigong Mountain to the south and Jialing River to the north. The terrain is extremely dangerous. But after breaking through the pass, it can reach Sichuan in the south, Lueyang in the north, Longnan in the west, and Hanzhong in the east. It is actually a military fortress.
Xun You moved his hand to another position on the map and continued: "But Ma Teng's army can at least contain Hanzhong's attention. Coupled with Wei Yan and Gan Ning's navy attacking Shangyong, Hanzhong's defense must have some omissions."
"Zhang Lu, Hanzhong, our army once helped him capture Hanzhong. Later, he broke away from Liu Yan and killed Zhang Xiu, who was stationed by Liu Yan. He had long wanted to be independent. He took his younger brother Zhang Wei as the marshal of the army and had four Yang men under his command. He is both civilized and martial, with Yan Pu as his counselor, sitting in the prosperous land of Dongchuan, practicing the Five Pecks of Rice religion, and his followers are all brave and not afraid of death."
Zhang Lu, courtesy name Gongqi, was born in Peiguofeng County. It is said that he is the tenth grandson of Zhang Liang, the Marquis of the Western Han Dynasty, and the grandson of Zhang Ling, the founder of Tianshi Tao (the Way of Five Dou Rice). He is the third generation Tianshi (called the Master) of Wu Dou Mi Tao. After killing Zhang Xiu, he continued to spread the Tao of Five Dou Rice in Hanzhong, and Calls himself "Master".
The swarms of heroes rose up, and the world was in chaos. Many people fled to the relatively stable Hanzhong area. Tens of thousands of Kansai people fled from Ziwu Valley to Hanzhong. Therefore, Hanzhong has always been prosperous and stable, and its population has grown. Zhang Lu also received the support of Du Yi, Pu Hu, Yuan Yue and other leaders of the Bayi minority. He adopted a benevolent policy to rule Hanzhong, and "the people and barbarians were happy". "Those who have been sent to their places by drifting will not dare not to obey them." The Five Pecks of Rice Taoism has expanded its influence with the power of the political power. To join the Taoism, believers only need to pay five measures of rice. Zhang Lu had many followers in Hanzhong and became a powerful separatist force in the late Han Dynasty.
The four Yangs mentioned by Xun You are the generals Yang Ren and Yang Ang, and the counselors Yang Bai and Yang Song. The most famous among them is naturally Yang Song, a despicable villain who seeks glory from his sellers. However, in fact, the four Yangs are all famous generals in Hanzhong, and they are quite powerful. The total number of troops capable of fighting reaches 100,000. Coupled with some followers who are not afraid of death, it is not easy to conquer Hanzhong.
Xun You paused for a moment, and when everyone's discussion gradually died down, he continued: "Hanzhong is the gateway to Bashu, and it can be said that the lips are dead and the teeth are cold. What I am most worried about is that once the battle line is lengthened and the battle cannot be won quickly, Liu Yan may let go of Zhang Xiu. Hatred, sent troops out of Jiange to assist, just behind our army's attack on Hanzhong."
"So, I will do my best to assist Yangping Pass. After passing the pass, I will send 10,000 soldiers and horses to guard the Jiange Plank Road to prevent Yizhou from sending troops to assist. The real battlefield is under Hanzhong City. If the enemy cannot hold out, Hanzhong City has always been prepared with food and grass. Being famous requires a lot of effort, but fortunately we captured Tianshui, so we have plenty of time to deal with Hanzhong."
After Xun You finished speaking, the generals began to discuss again. Apparently, they still had many questions about the Battle of Hanzhong. Zhang He and Gao Lan were both famous generals, but they were not familiar with the geography of Hanzhong and did not dare to speak out easily for a while.
Chen Long waved his hand to stop the discussion and said with a smile: "A strong attack will naturally consume a lot of money. Can we bypass Yangping Pass, go straight to Jiange Road, and go deep into Hanzhong?"
Zhou Buyi frowned and objected: "Then it would be better to go back to Ziwu Valley. The Jiange Plank Road is surrounded by mountains and rivers, so it is really not suitable for a large army to march. However, if we turn back, time will not allow it. Ma Teng is probably already there. Hinata is closed.”
Chen Long waved his hand and said: "It is said that the road to Shu is as difficult as reaching the sky! But in order to suppress Liu Yan in Yizhou, only by taking Hanzhong can we safely take Han Sui's Liangzhou, and finally conquer the Central Plains from Chang'an. Therefore, generals, show your courage and capture Yangping Pass in one fell swoop!" Chen Long was so impassioned that he hit Yangping Pass on the map with an iron fist.
In the next two days, all the generals performed their duties, and the army, with Zhang He, Xun You, and Gao Lan as the vanguard, prepared to pass through Wudu and attack Yangping Pass. Six days later, the army was fully prepared, and Chen Long was preparing to lead the team to set off in person, when news of an enemy invasion came from Longxi County to the west. Liu Xian sent someone to report that Liang Xing withdrew his troops and fled to Longxi County. He joined forces with Ma Wan who was guarding Longxi, and led 30,000 cavalry to invade Tianshui. He happened to run into Liu Xian who had set up a camp at a strategic location. Liu Xian had the advantageous location. , using archers to deal with Ma Wan and Liang Xing, they quickly sent their men to Tianshui for help.
Chen Long heard that there were incoming troops, so he ordered Xu Shu and Liu Yong to lead troops to resist the enemy. Hearing that there were many soldiers in Liangzhou, he had to postpone the departure of the army and simply brought his own troops to resist the enemy, intending to fight quickly and repel the invading enemy.
In this expedition, Chen Long put on a silver helmet for the first time, stepped on a flying dragon horse, and held a bright silver gentian spear to fight. The main force behind him totaled more than 40,000 people. Chen Long pulled out all the troops and led the training with battle. Liu Yong held a steel sword, Xu Shu hung a sword on his waist, and a group of deputy generals, shouting in front and behind, rushed away.
When Liu Xian entered the camp, Chen Long carefully looked at the surrounding geography and saw tall mountains on both sides of the road. This was the camp Liu Xian chose to site. A wide trench was dug to the west of the camp, many antlers were planted, and tall towers were erected. The observation from the arrow tower is purely a defensive posture.
Seeing that the surrounding terrain was dangerous and conducive to an ambush, Chen Long and Lu Chang led his own special forces guards to conduct a reconnaissance. Before Ma Wan and Liang Xing's cavalry arrived, a bag had been laid out around the area, just waiting to contain the invading enemy's dumplings.
Ma Wan and Liang Xing were military generals, but they lacked strategy. They mustered up the courage and thought that they had more soldiers and knew the surrounding geography well enough to fight. How could Chen Long, who was so powerful in martial arts and resourceful, fight head-on? The suburbs of Xicheng in Tianshui were already full of traps to eliminate the invading enemies.
If you want to know what happens next, listen to the explanation next time.
