Bordering Daliang to the north of Xidu, there are rolling mountains. The weather in May is changeable, and it started to drizzle again.
In the green rain curtain, few people could be seen. A rider came from the south and rode into the forest. Then he avoided the surveillance range of Liang Guo's scouts and turned to the east. Then he contacted the secret sentry and was led Then we came to Hupingkou where the West Route Army was stationed.
This is an outer channel formed by a branch of a waterway in the upper reaches of the ancient Youhe River. It is named after its shape like a pot.
Hearing that the East Route Army had defeated Taikang and was preparing to head north to the Western Capital of Daliang, the atmosphere in the military camp suddenly became lively.
The fast horse coming from the south was then summoned by Guan Yu and Xiahou Yuan, and generals such as Zhang Fei, Li Xuanba, Xiahou Dun, Zhang He, Qin Qiong, and Yuchi Gong were also in the tent.
It is impossible for more than 100,000 people to be stationed in one place. Iron Buddha's cavalry camped at the foot of the mountain about ten miles to the east, and this was the camp of the Qingzhou soldiers. The Yizhou army, due to the unsuitable climate and soil, also had 6,000 people from Guan Yu. Stay here.
In the handsome tent, all the generals were seated. After listening to the commanding officer conveying the news brought by Su Chen, Guan Yu was the first to smile. He stroked his beard and said, "That's exactly how it should be!"
The eldest son Guan Ping behind him also grinned.
"Second brother, why are you laughing?" Zhang Fei's eyes widened. When Guan Yu didn't say anything, he stood up hastily, clenched his fist and waved it in the air, "You are really worried about me. Believe it or not, I will find my elder brother when I go back." !”
"Zhang Yide!"
Xia Houyuan loves and hates this son-in-law. He loves him because he is also a powerful general in the world, and hates that he took away the daughter of another clan brother, his niece. He raised her from a young age and is no different from his own daughter. , He snatched her away when he said he wanted to. At that time, he almost wanted to go south to Xuzhou alone to snatch his daughter back.
Looking at Zhang Fei in front of him, he couldn't help but snorted: "Don't you know that your second brother flooded the Seventh Army? He is very familiar with this matter!"
"Hahaha, I see, I almost thought of it." Zhang Fei punched the palm of his hand excitedly, "So this time, can I and my second brother flood the Seventh Army again?"
"And us!" Qin Qiong and Yu Chigong followed, and Li Xuanba nodded in confusion, probably still thinking about what kind of water could submerge the Seventh Army.
The only generals from Cao Wei's side such as Zhang He, Xu Huang, Yue Jin, and Xiahou Dun remained in the tent without speaking, which made Zhang Fei a little unhappy, "Why don't you speak?"
"The seven armies that were flooded were Cao Wei's soldiers and horses. Why are we making a fuss about it!" Xu Huang glanced at him unhappily.
Zhang He also echoed: "Next time, let's talk about burning Yiling?"
"Burning Yiling? What is that?" Zhang Fei didn't react and turned around to look at his second brother. Guan Yu and Guan Ping also had doubts in their eyes. The general from the early Tang Dynasty coughed dryly. Qin Qiong raised his hand to his mouth and said to Guan Yu whispered: "Uncle Liu Huang avenged Junhou and General Zhang and was burned by Dongwu Lu Xun in Yiling."
Guan and Zhang knew about the Burning Battalion and heard it from Liu Bei, Zhuge Liang, and Zhao Yun. However, such a defeat was not glorious, so the details were not very detailed and the location was not mentioned specifically.
Now that I heard it, Zhang Fei did not make any noise to the generals on Cao Wei's side. Instead, he folded his hands on his chest and sat back down.
"Next time, your Majesty will ask your Majesty to bring all the dog thieves from Soochow. I will stab them to death with a spear to satisfy the hatred in my heart!"
Among the generals from Cao Wei, Xu Huang and Le Jin nodded, "Agree!"
Hearing the mention of Soochow, Guan Yu turned his face away, stroked his beautiful beard, and couldn't help but curse: "Rat."
Dong Wu was scolded and scolded in the tent for a while, and then it became quiet instantly. Everyone talked about the order brought by Su Chen again. Guan Yu showed no resistance to this plan, and even won his heart. He glanced at the generals in the tent, and pressed his palms On the table: "In a dangerous war, it is better to have a plan than to have no plan at all. Since you have no objections, Guan gave the order to dispatch the generals!"
He spoke briefly, and everyone raised their hands in unison: "But please give the order from the lord (coach)!"
Guan Yu actually had a high prestige among the generals in the late Han Dynasty and the Tang Dynasty. Especially after he became the governor of Jingzhou, his ability to command troops was revealed. In this attack on the northwest, the general's orderly arrangement of large and small affairs also convinced everyone.
"First explore the depth of the river, measure the width of the river surface, and then raise the lower river embankments to prevent the river water from flowing back into our army. Secondly, while searching for places where the water can be cut off, we can build embankments to block the water; Third, build the boat! It must be completed within seven days!"
"Here!"
The generals happily agreed, but Qin Qiong added: "The Liang army stationed in the south is holding on to the mountain col and controlling all the important roads. It is not easy to capture. Why not... go out again to lure the snake out of the cave?"
Everyone was experienced in the battlefield. When Qin Qiong said this, Guan Yu stroked his beard and closed his eyes, nodding in approval.
Xia Houyuan also laughed: "Haha, when they hear that we are waiting to block the water and break the embankment, they will definitely lead their troops to stop it. Now that they have come out, there is no reason to let them go back!"
During this period, Tuoba Zhaori, the clan general who came from Liang State, followed the previous tactics. The mountains along the official road used the narrow and steep terrain to block Guan Yu and others who were going south, making everyone feel aggrieved. At this time, they heard that they were using Jueshui led the other party out, with a fierce smile on everyone's face: "They will be defeated!"
The north is mountainous, unlike the south where there are many cities and flat roads. The mountain roads here are difficult to navigate. Compared with the native Liang people, they are obviously at a disadvantage.
The western capital of the Liang Kingdom is surrounded by mountains on three sides and is adjacent to the ancient Youhe River in the west. It has a natural defensive advantage, but the terrain is relatively low. Once the embankment breaks and the water is impounded, the consequences will be disastrous. When Tuoba Zhaori hears the news, he will definitely If they would come to stop it, it would be considered a conspiracy.
As time went by, the West Route Army no longer attacked the south. At most, they sent Zhang Fei to yell and curse a few times, but there was no movement. This unusual move made Tuoba Zhao stationed in the Tianzhu Mountain and Langya Mountain areas The Japanese department felt uneasy.
After three days, the drizzle stopped for several days, and the foothills were muddy and wet. Liang Jun's scouts continued to investigate, and unexpectedly discovered that many Xia soldiers did not bring any weapons, and even had bare feet. When traveling to and from the Guyou River, they would sometimes use burdens and donkey carts to bring in a lot of soil to solidify the river bank.
This news quickly spread back to the Liang Kingdom military camp on the Tianzhu Mountain side. Tuoba Zhaori showed confusion on his face after receiving the news, but then he summoned the generals of the various armies to gather in the big tent.
"What are they going to do? Can they build a river embankment for us?"
In the large tent made of leather felt, the charcoal fire burned away the moisture from the rainy days in the tent. As one of the commanders of the trekking army to Lichui Mountain, after hearing the news, he laughed: "Don't talk about military rations. If it’s not enough, you have to fish in the river and don’t be dragged down by the water ghosts in the river and drowned.”
In addition to him, there were also Xi Fenggu Burian, the chief commander of the Fushan Army, and Tuoba Zezhen, the deputy commander of the main army of the Liang Kingdom. As Xiang Lichuishan was talking, they were also whispering below.
They didn't understand this matter. Why did the Xia generals go to repair the river instead of attacking them?
A man named Yesi Weiming joined the army and said, "Are they going to cut off the river and store the floods?"
The few people who were talking and laughing in low voices suddenly stopped. Although they had read the military manual of the Central Plains, there were so many strategies in it that their brains ached and they couldn't remember them all. However, when they were reminded by this soldier, they immediately reacted. .
"If so, that's a problem."
Tuoba Zhaori looked at everyone, and the expression on his face changed, "Once the Xia army conquers the water upstream, once there is a heavy rain, mountain torrents will accompany the river..." His eyes immediately fell on the map, and his eyes suddenly narrowed. He slapped the table and stood up: "Oh no, Xidu! They are going to flood Xidu!"
He said it immediately, and the expressions of the people below also changed.
"If that's the case... then they must be stopped!"
"Could it be a scam?"
"It just rained lightly, and there is no chance of another heavy rain falling."
“At this time of the month, it’s May, and you and I can’t tell whether there will be heavy rain!”
Ye Ci Weiming knocked on his knees: "What if there is?"
Tuoba Zhaori nodded to this. No matter what the other generals in the tent thought, he did not dare to gamble on this matter. However, despite the fact that he often went against Tuoba Zong, he was as immature as a child. In fact, his thoughts Fine.
"It makes sense to join the army. We must prepare for the worst in this matter. If the Xia army really bursts the embankment and encounters heavy rain, then the western capital will not be saved. Let alone the people and the army, even your majesty will not be able to save it." There is a possibility of flooding.
But we still have to be careful about the ambush deliberately set by the generals of the Xia Kingdom to lure us out, so we only need to send one general to lead the troops to stop it, and the other generals will be stationed at the foot of the mountain to avoid being taken advantage of by the Xia Kingdom! "
Everyone had no objections to this arrangement and stood up one after another.
"yes!"
…
In the afternoon of that day, soldiers and horses from Tianzhu Mountain were mobilized, and they went to Lishan to lead 5,000 trekking troops and quietly left the camp. The cavalry under his command could fight across mountains and ridges. This time, he was the only one to stop Xia Guo from building embankments.
The scout returned to Hupinkou with the news.
Zhang Fei and Qin Qiong laughed loudly, bowed their hands with the others, got on their horses in armor, and headed to the front of the Tiger Step Camp with their weapons in hand.
"Second brother, wait for my good news."
"Everyone, General Zhang and I will do our best first!" Qin Qiong said with a big smile while holding the horse's spear on horseback.
Soon after, the Hupingkou military camp began to move. As evening approached, the two thousand Hubu camp and two thousand Tang soldiers gathered. Under the light of the bonfire in the camp, they followed the two generals and quietly left the camp to the predetermined ambush site. .
"Everyone, we should get ready and continue building embankments tomorrow."
The bonfire was blazing, and the military camp was in a state of solemnity. Everyone was listening in silence to Guan Yu, who was wearing a green robe and stroking his beard in front of the tent.
…
In the same night, Su Chen's East Route Army in the south was already murderous.
Tieya's Xirong corpse cavalry units have been sweeping the roads and mountains heading north, and have found many Liang herdsmen hiding in the mountains. Without exception, they were all killed on the spot by the Xirong cavalry in the mountains, and they were attacked. In other words, the Great Khan ordered them to clean up, so naturally these herdsmen also have to 'sweep' them clean.
As for the Youyan army, which was the main force going north, Su Chen gave Zhang Yi an order to rush to build boats. It didn't matter if they marched a little slower. By the time they reached the border of the western capital of Liang Kingdom, they would have to have 300 boats.
Another day later, when he was still more than two hundred miles away from the Liang Kingdom, Su Chen also received a reply from the West Route Army. After reading it, he asked Xiang Yu, Lu Bu and other generals to circulate it.
"Haha, I heard from the captain that there will be heavy rain tonight. We have to find a hill to camp and see what it was like when the water flooded Xiapi!" Li Jing said with a smile, stroking his beard.
Lu Bu twitched the corners of his mouth and couldn't help but correct him: "It's Daliang!"
…
It's night in the Western Capital of Liang Kingdom.
The palace lights were warm and yellow, and in the quiet night, Tuoba Kui suddenly woke up from the dragon bed. The queen who was sleeping beside him quickly got up and looked after her, "Your Majesty, what's wrong with you?"
In the cool night, the queen bare her white arms, took a single piece of clothing, and put it on Tuoba Kui, who sat on the edge of the bed and stared at the bronze bird candlestick not far away with his eyes open.
"I... had a nightmare. I dreamed that I, you... and the queen were all soaked in cold water." He said in a hoarse voice.
"Your Majesty has been working day and night, and he may have been thinking too much about his uncle's affairs. I remember someone said that dreaming about water is actually a good sign. It's time to get pregnant."
"hehe."
Tuoba Kui was stunned for a while, then he held the hand that gently patted the back of his hand and smiled at his wife: "So, I can defeat the Xia army?"
"I believe that Liang Guo can win if we work together."
The woman said softly, then suddenly turned her head and looked outside the bedroom door, "Hey, it seems like it's raining heavily."
With a red rope tied around her bare ankles, she stepped on the wool blanket. She walked to the window and opened the curtains. The cool water vapor rushed in, and the rain fell outside.
The heavy rain connected the sky and the earth, and the darkness of the night made it almost impossible to see.
More than five hundred miles away, upstream of the Guyou River, a group of soldiers and horses were marching in the rain. In a bush in front of them, in the darkness, a man with a leopard head and ringed eyes wiped the rain off his face.
"Damn, I've waited for them."
(End of chapter)
