The Emperor of the Han Dynasty visited Hanzhong in person, which greatly boosted the morale of the soldiers and civilians in Hanzhong.
But everything has advantages and disadvantages.
For Zhuge Liang, how to ensure the emperor's safety became the most important event above this battle.
The Prime Minister of the Han Dynasty took out such priceless treasures and handed them to Wei Yan, which is enough to illustrate his attitude:
If the spies can't find out the situation of Wei Jun, you can help me.
The emperor's safety is more important than anything else.
Wei Yan understood his intention and immediately gathered his men and set out from the southern end of Ziwu Valley to find the Wei army.
In fact, even with the help of telescopes, it is difficult to find out the true and false situation of the Wei army from a distance.
The clouds and mist are steaming above it, and with the help of a telescope, some flags and erected guard towers can only be vaguely seen.
However, Wei Yan was ordered to die by the prime minister, and he must find out the situation of the Wei army.
Immediately, he led people and quietly approached the Wei army's camp, and found a high place close to the Wei army to observe carefully.
This look didn't matter, but it gave him a clue.
He did not dare to neglect, so he climbed two more hills, looked all the way, and finally determined: Cao Cao had set up banners in many places, but there were no corresponding number of people.
To put it simply, it is a false pretense.
This trick may fool others, but Wei Yan has been leading the army for many years, and just waiting to see clearly the situation inside the opponent's camp, he felt a little weird at first glance.
Then I looked carefully in many places, and I understood this weird thing.
He did not dare to neglect, and quickly withdrew from the valley, returned to Hanzhong, and reported the matter to the prime minister.
"A false promise?"
When Zhuge Liang heard Wei Yan's report, his heart thumped and he suddenly felt something was wrong.
"Is this serious?"
"How can the general dare to falsely report such a thing?" Wei Yan replied, "I think the Cao thieves are at most thirty thousand, and at least twenty thousand."
"Prime Minister, since we already know the situation of Cao Cao, why not find a way to break it?"
Zhuge Liang shook his head: "It is difficult to travel through Ziwu Valley, it is difficult for thieves to reach Hanzhong, and it is also difficult to reach thieves in Hanzhong. What I am worried about is where is Cao Zhen now?"
Zhuge Liang walked to the sand table and frowned, with a look of worry on his face.
"Could it be that the traitor Cao wanted to carry out the Prime Minister's old deeds and used a suspicious force to attract our attention, but in fact Sima Yi, who came up the Han River from Jingzhou, was the main force?"
Wei Yan thought of a possibility.
Sima Yi was going upstream along Hanzhong, but Nanxiang had already reported his attack.
But now there is heavy rain in Hanzhong and the Han River has surged, making it difficult to sail the boat and the journey is extremely slow.
Zhuge Liang shook his head: "Impossible. Marching into Hanzhong is a major national event for Cao Cao. It is impossible for Cao Zhen not to come in person."
"And if Sima Yi is the army that invades Hanzhong this time, it will save trouble. In the past, Nanxiang built many forts along the Han River, and our army is next to Nanxiang. Why should we be afraid?"
The more Zhuge Liang spoke, the more worried his face became.
At this time, the sergeant came to report: "Your Majesty has arrived."
Because Chenggu County is right next to Nanxiang, Feng Yong regarded it as the food supply base for Nanxiang Workshop a few years ago.
Therefore, Shuangnan Avenue starts from Nanxiang, first reaches Chenggu, and then reaches Nanzheng.
If you drive from Nanzheng, you can go directly along the highway to Dagu.
Adou and the Queen have long heard of the name of Shuangnan Avenue, and now they can walk on this artificial stone avenue in person, and they can't stop being amazed all the way.
Zhang Xingcai could not enter the military camp, so he stayed in Chenggu City.
"Xiangfu, this Hanzhong looks really better than Jincheng."
When Adou met Zhuge Liang in the camp, he still looked excited, "The road is flat, whether it's driving, riding, or walking, it's all smooth."
"I heard that this avenue was built a few years ago. Why not also pave such an avenue in Jincheng?"
Zhuge Liang smiled bitterly: "Your Majesty, this road is good, but the cost is also high. The old minister also asked Feng Mingwen to build a road from Nanzheng to Juxian. He asked for three years of Han Dynasty's tax."
"Three years?!"
Adou was shocked.
Nowadays, the Han Dynasty's annual tax can be converted into two million yuan. In three years... Adou counted on his fingers. Isn't that six million?
The emperor swallowed involuntarily and thought to himself that Feng Mingwen was really brave, daring to open such a big mouth to his father-in-law.
"Then...then Xiangfu agreed?"
Adou asked curiously.
During the days he spent in Nanzheng, he certainly knew that there was a highway from Nanzheng directly to Ju County.
Although it is not as easy to walk as Shuangnan Avenue, it is still a rare official road.
"Where did the big man get so much money and food?" The prime minister laughed and said, "Later, in exchange for exempting Nanxiang from all taxes, the old minister asked him to replace the corvee with an engineering team."
"In the end, I added some money and food, and this was considered completed. It was the same method as the reconstruction of the Jinniu Road from Jincheng to Hanzhong."
"However, because the Taurus Way is related to the livelihood of many people, the government and the public have given full support to it, and the cultivation has gone smoothly."
After listening to his father-in-law's words, Adou couldn't help but secretly thought:
Feng Mingwen has a good way of dispersing money, and he also has a good way of collecting it! The Han Dynasty's treasury has become increasingly rich over the years, no wonder Xiangfu indulges him so much.
Adou was thinking about it when he heard Zhuge Liang ask again: "Your Majesty, Cao Cao's thieves are attacking. It is very likely that Cheng Gu will be in front of the formation. Why did your Majesty take the risk himself?"
"Oh, oh, don't mention it to me, I almost forgot!"
As soon as he mentioned this, Adou suddenly became excited again. He lowered his voice and said, "My father-in-law, my fourth mother, uh, it was Shang Gong from the palace who sent the news from Longyou."
"Feng Mingwen led the army out of Xiaoguan. He has sent Guan Suolian to defeat Wushi City and Jingyang City, and is now advancing on Anding County."
When Zhuge Liang heard this, he suddenly shook his body and cried out, "Is this true?!"
"Of course it's true!"
Adou rubbed his hands, the excitement on his face never disappeared, "I heard that Feng Mingwen still led the cavalry alone to Yuezhi City. I wonder what the current situation is like?"
"If Yuezhi City is destroyed, Linjing, the prefecture of Anding, will definitely fall into the hands of our great Han..."
He was talking to himself, but unexpectedly he raised his head and saw his father-in-law, only to see that his face was pale and he stood there blankly.
"Father..."
"Cao Zhen...Cao Zhen's intention is Longyou!"
Zhuge Liang suddenly said something that Adou couldn't understand. He turned around suddenly, spread out the map of Hanzhong, and compared it with the Hanzhong sand table.
A Dou looked at Xiangfu and muttered to himself, not knowing what he was talking about.
Then I saw my father-in-law’s fingers moving around on the map with some trembling, and finally focused on a point: “Here, this is it!”
Adou took a closer look and saw the word "Qixian County" above it.
Zhuge Liang raised it and looked at Adou, "Your Majesty, when did this message from Shang Gong come over?"
"When we first set off this morning..."
Zhang Xingyi has always been in contact with the palace, and the news has never been broken, so the emperor can get the news from Longyou half a day to a day faster than the official documents from the Longyou Governor's Mansion.
There's nothing surprising about this.
After all, official documents need to be stamped with the seal of the principal's palace first, and then stamped with the seal of the governor's palace in Jicheng.
But Adou didn't understand why Xiangfu's expression changed drastically when he heard the news, "Xiangfu, isn't it a good thing that Feng Mingwen defeated the thief?"
"It's a good thing, but it's also a bad thing."
Zhuge Liang's face was still extremely ugly, "Your Majesty, Cao Zhen's threat to march from Ziwu Valley is actually just a suspicious army under his banner."
Combined with the information Wei Yan found out, if Zhuge Liang still can't react, then he will be in vain as the prime minister of the Han Dynasty.
"Feng Yong broke into Linjing but didn't meet Cao Zhen. So Cao Zhen is most likely to be in Qian County."
Going west from Qian County, you will enter Longyou Avenue, where Longguan is the most important pass.
At the same time, in addition to Longguan, there is also a mountain road from Qian County that leads directly to Lueyang.
Although this mountain road is not as easy to walk as the Guanlong Avenue, it can still be used for cavalry.
Zhang He crossed the mountain through this route, which almost failed his Northern Expedition plan.
If Cao Zhen secretly gathered an army in Qian County, then he would most likely march from Qian County to Longyou.
No news came from Longyou. The only thing that Cao Zhen didn't expect was the continuous heavy rain in Hanzhong.
The surge of the Han River prevented Sima Yi from arriving in Hanzhong in time to hold off the Hanzhong army.
So he's waiting.
Thinking of this, Zhuge Liang broke into a cold sweat.
Although Longguan is dangerous, it is not foolproof.
Now Feng Yong's strategic mobile force is far away in Anding, and the 30,000-strong Longyou Governor's Mansion is under great pressure to resist Cao Zhen's army from the east and prevent changes in Liangzhou.
"Somebody come!"
Zhuge Liang no longer cared about the emperor present, he turned around and called people loudly.
"I have met the Prime Minister... Your Majesty, I have met the Prime Minister."
Li Yi, who joined the army, was waiting outside the door to listen to orders at any time. At this time, he heard the Prime Minister's call and came in quickly.
"Go, send someone on the road. If you see an official document from Longyou, send it over immediately."
Li Yi saw the anxious look on the prime minister's face, so he quickly agreed and hurried out.
"Let Yang Yi come over!"
As Zhuge Liang spoke, he sat down and began to write an urgent letter by hand.
After Yang Yi came in, before he could speak, Zhuge Liang handed him a warrant: "Send it to Long You immediately and ask Feng Yong to withdraw from Anding! Quick!"
"Let Jiang Wei come in!"
After Jiang Wei came in, he only heard the Prime Minister's order: "I will give you 10,000 horses. You must go to Longyou quickly and follow the instructions of General Zhao. Remember, you must go as soon as possible without any delay."
Seeing his father-in-law hurriedly calling people in again and again, Adou finally began to worry.
After Zhuge Liang finished making arrangements, Adou bravely asked, "Xiangfu, is there any danger in Longyou?"
Zhuge Liang's eyes fell on the sand table again and he shook his head, "Originally, Longyou was in danger, but now it should be fine."
A Dou breathed a sigh of relief.
Unexpectedly, Zhuge Liang's next words almost made him jump: "The one we have to worry about now is Feng Yong."
"Feng Yong has an engineering battalion in his hands and is very good at attacking cities. The day when Xiaowei Mansion defeated Wushi City and Jingyang City was only ten days ago at most. I'm afraid that Feng Yong has already captured Anding."
"Once the city is stabilized, Guanzhong will definitely be shaken. Cao Zhen originally wanted to attack Longguan and Lueyang from Qian County. I'm afraid he will lead his army north after learning about the news of stabilization."
Zhuge Liang endured his extremely anxious mood and carefully told the emperor the details:
"Going north from Qian County, there is a middle road that goes straight to Xiaoguan. This road was overhauled by Emperor Xiaowu's order. It is a flat road and can be used by large armies."
"If Cao Zhen goes north from the middle road to attack Xiao Pass and cut off Feng Yong's retreat..."
At this point, Zhuge Liang couldn't talk any more.
Adou swallowed hard. He was not a fool. Even if he couldn't understand the map, he could still understand the sand table.
If Feng Yong had really defeated Linjing, he would have gone deep into enemy territory.
If we can't return in time, we may be stuck on the other side of Longshan.
"Cao Zhen...will you go back to the middle road?"
Adou looked at Xiangfu with hopeful eyes.
Zhuge Liang smiled bitterly: "Cao Zhen is not a fool. As long as Feng Yong's retreat is cut off, peace will be settled without attacking."
How could Cao Zhen, the great Sima of the Wei State, not see such a simple thing?
"This matter... is my fault!"
Zhuge Liang closed his eyes in pain, "I thought that the heavy rain in Hanzhong would make it difficult for Cao's army of thieves to move. I only thought that this time I would be able to defeat the army of thieves, but I didn't expect..."
Careless!
It's really too careless!
Over the years, the Han Dynasty has been so successful that everyone has a contempt for Wei.
But they forgot that the Wei State was ten times as powerful as the Han Dynasty.
Even now, that is five or six times.
Just the suspicious soldiers and Jingzhou troops can hold back most of the Hanzhong army.
Cao Zhen, on the other hand, could calmly deploy heavy troops to attack Longyou.
This time, Adou excitedly came to the military camp to find his father-in-law, but he was hit with a sap on the head, which made stars appear in his eyes.
Zhang Xingcai, who was waiting outside, was shocked when he saw Adou come back in despair:
"Why does your Majesty look so bad?"
Only then did A Dou react. He looked around and waved his hand, "Everyone, please go down. Don't come near me without orders."
After Ping retreated, Adou told Zhang Xingcai what his father-in-law had said to him in the military camp.
"Is Feng Yong in danger?"
Although Zhang Xingcai was very resourceful, when he heard the news, he was immediately confused.
"Not sure yet."
Adou saw that the queen was panicked and quickly comforted her, "My father-in-law also said that this matter is just his speculation and may not be true."
"Before the news comes from Longyou, the Queen should not spread it randomly, so as not to disturb people's hearts."
Zhang Xingcai nodded, she knew the importance.
It's just that the prime minister is very intelligent. When your majesty said that the prime minister had sent troops to Longyou for support, then this matter was most likely true.
Zhang Xingcai gritted his teeth and said, "So, this time, Feng Mingwen took the risk for Long You?"
A Dou nodded, with a look of worry on his face: "Feng Mingwen is too good at fighting and is too quick to defeat thieves..."
"What nonsense are you talking about, Your Majesty!"
It was obviously such a worrying time, but Zhang Xingcai was really angry and laughing when he heard Adou say such words.
But now, she can only think about the good things:
"I think Feng Mingwen is used to cutting off others' escape routes. I think he will pay attention to his own escape routes. Even if the army of the Colonel's Mansion cannot escape, he will definitely have a way to come back."
