From being full of confidence at the beginning, to the battle entering a stalemate, Liu Bei's mood changed day by day.
One night in late December, Liu Bei couldn't sleep for a long time with a sad face. When he went out to relieve himself, he passed by Fazheng's tent and found that there was still a faint light of fire inside.
Chen Dao caught a glimpse of Liu Bei's solemn expression and guessed that Liu Bei was going to discuss military affairs with Fazheng.
Liu Bei stretched out his hand to lift the curtain, while Chen Dao dismissed nearby patrols and stood guard outside the tent.
"Xiaozhi, haven't you rested yet?" Liu Bei asked with a smile.
"Your Majesty, you haven't slept yet?" Fazheng walked up to him with bare feet.
Fazheng invited Liu Bei to sit on the couch and put the quilt on his legs to keep warm. There was a small table on the couch with a map of Guanzhong spread on it.
"It's not easy to storm Chencang. I don't know if we can break the city before Cao Pi wakes up. If the price is too high, it won't make much sense to win here." Liu Bei frowned.
Fazheng nodded and said: "It is a risky move to go straight from Qinchuan to the north. Since it is now a desperate move, we must take this city. As long as we can stand firm, Longyou and Guanzhong are within our grasp. Although our losses are not small, Zhang He It’s not easy to defend, so we must not be discouraged. The current food and grass can last for two or three months.”
Liu Bei nodded and replied: "Since Bei is approaching the Wei River, he naturally has not thought about giving up. Now Yide and Shiyuan have occupied Shanggui and blocked Cao Zhen's army on the west road. Now our purpose has been completely exposed. Anding, Chang'an, Luoyang, etc. If the local garrison comes to rescue Chencang, then it is really difficult to get off the tiger."
A few days ago, Xia Houmao sent ten thousand troops to help, but they were ambushed and killed by two veteran generals, Huang Zhong and Yan Yan, and were defeated in the Wei River. This completely explained what it means to encircle a point for reinforcements.
Fa Zheng adopted the strategy of encircling Baque, leaving Zhang He with a way to escape to the north of Liu Bei. The docks and ships on the Weishui River were all damaged, and he had no intention of letting the defenders in the city cross the river to escape.
There were too many people in the fleet at the Weishui pier, and it was impossible to support the evacuation of all the defenders. Zhang He would rather stay in the city than go out.
Fa Zheng comforted and said: "The situation of the battle in Huainan and Jingzhou is unknown. Cao Pi has delayed sending reinforcements to retreat into Guanzhong. It is likely that he will be hindered by Sun Quan and General Guan. We must seize the time to break the city. Although we have diverted water to flood the city several times, The internal effect is obvious, but it should break the will of many defenders. Next, in addition to attacking the city with all your strength, you are going to use the method you used to attack Luo City, and use arrows and rumors to see if you can help break the city."
"I really miss Song Chen in Ziyu's hands. If Ziyu is the commander of this Northern Expedition, maybe he will send someone to infiltrate Liu Bei in a year or two." Wei Yan shook his head and smiled bitterly.
Fazheng nodded in agreement: "General Lan is good at delaying the deployment, so he can know the gods and the ghosts. It's a pity that I have to farm in Jiaozhou to keep an eye on Soochow, otherwise I will have no small military achievements."
"One Ziyu is enough." Wei Yan finished sighing and suddenly asked: "It's only been a month since Wei Wenchang and Deng Shizai overcame General Wei, right? Why is there no news so far? That's seventy days different from the plan. Too far."
"It is winter at this time, and the road in the mountains may be easy to walk. Give us less time. Even if you can finally capture Chang'an, leading your troops to retreat westward will help you capture Liu Bei. I hope we can do nothing." Fa Zheng comforted road.
Wei Yan's expression suddenly became hesitant and he said solemnly: "We will do nothing. You have no strong premonition."
General Wei's route is winding and winding, hundreds of outer mountain roads are desolate and inhabited, there is often no wind and snow in winter, and the roar of wild beasts in the hills makes it very difficult to pass through.
Just a few days after Deng Ai's army set out, they encountered a rare light snowfall. The valley was filled with snow overnight, and the army even found a way to retreat. Fortunately, the accompanying Yamen General Wang Ping had rich experience in mountain warfare. The soldier Buqu was good at climbing mountains and wading in rivers, and led the small army to quickly explore the road and retreat.
Because the troops retreated too quickly while exploring the road, Deng Ai and Chen Cang discussed dividing the troops. I took 10,000 troops and portable rations and marched in front of Wang Ping's troops. I was able to walk on an unusual path. Just take the unusual path, use ropes and other tools where possible, and climb through the safe area.
The villagers in Chencang, who had no food carts, had no way of climbing up the mountain like a monk, but they could only retreat through the snow on the mountain road. If they were not careful and made the wrong step, both the people and the cart might fall into the deep valley.
Because of Lantian's friendship, Ma Dai stayed with Jiang Zheng to help manage the food transportation for the villagers. A few hours later, the army was found. Ma Dai immediately went to Chen Cang and suggested: "Shizai, the future is uncertain now. Ziwuling If he has no intention of going alone, will his 20,000-strong grain transport team still want to follow?"
"Crossing through General Wei is a strange plan. If it succeeds, it will definitely go down in history. We can shrink back when we see it is easy. Moreover, Ziwu Ridge only has 10,000 soldiers. It is almost impossible to attack Chang'an. Your 20,000 villages The public role is small." Jiang Zheng's eyes hesitated.
"It's not that Ma Dai is greedy for life, but it's because of the snow blocking the road. While you have retreated from the mountains and walked far away, it's still too late to enter Nanzheng. If it takes a little longer, all the food you carry will be eaten up." Sorry, these are 20,000 young men." Ma Dai had no right to speak among the villagers, so he could only persuade him sincerely.
Seeing that Jiang Zheng was speaking firmly, Ma Dai continued his analysis: "Our route is just a surprise force. Even if we successfully get rid of General Wei, it will be very difficult to capture Chang'an. To capture Guanzhong, we must rely on the main force of Xiao Wang's route, and another Li Shi No matter how small the role of the villagers in Zai is, Ziwuling seems to take it seriously, so why should we take risks?"
"We must get rid of General Wei. No matter whether Ziwuling pays attention to it or not, your 20,000 villagers are useless. It is not that you are stubborn. It is really a small matter for the country that must go all out. How can you accomplish a small matter if you are timid? You used to have the courage to do it. See you sir." Jiang Zheng said firmly.
"The situation in front of us." Ma Dai hesitated.
Chen Cang confidently replied: "Among the 20,000 villagers, there are many older people. We were all once common people in Guanzhong, General Wei who fled to Hanzhong and left."
"So Shi Zai prepared a guide? Why did he explain it to Jiang Zhenghuan?" Ma Dai was overjoyed.
Chen Cang shook his head and replied: "Without General Wang to help you in Ziwu Ridge, how can you care about your villagers? My husband once said that it is easy to add icing on the cake, but it is difficult to add charcoal when the time is right. General Wang is indeed an expert in mountain warfare, so you must add icing on the cake." "
"Shizai is a disciple of Mr. Xuan Owl. It is said that Ziwuling will treat him favorably. Why is it that he has been farming in Hanzhong for two years, and I still feel a trough in my chest?" Ma Dai was very satisfied.
Chen Cang replied with a smile: "Sir, I will teach you to act in a high-profile manner and pay attention to accumulation and accumulation in everything. Zitong and Mianshui are both farming, and Ziwuling knows what you are capable of."
Ma Dai pointed at Chen Cang and smiled, "When you walk out of Jiang Zhenghuan, Ziwuling will probably be surprised. You have to admire Mr. Xuan Owl. You have to admire him."
Chen Cang then let the villagers on the unfamiliar route lead the way. Combining the astronomy and geography he had learned over the years, Chen Cang quickly walked through the mountains with the villagers and food, and finally walked out of General Wei in mid-Seventeenth.
At this time, Deng Ai was stationed on a hillside ten miles away. When we got there, all the food was exhausted, and we were thinking of attacking a few villages to supply supplies. However, if it was difficult to expose our whereabouts, we would not be able to achieve the purpose of a surprise attack on Chang'an. The soldiers were able to fight Chang'an on an empty stomach.
Just when the two were in a dilemma, Wang Ping rushed to report with excitement: "In Ziwu Ridge, General Deng has taken away the villagers and food, and has also walked out of General Wei. We are starving."
"Seriously? Deng Shizai really has no tricks." Deng Ai jumped up with excitement.
(End of chapter)
