"Has Thief Feng retreated?"
Jiang Ji, who was waiting at Zhiguan, received the news from the scouts and was a little unbelievable:
"Are you sure? Are you sure you really returned it?"
The battle between Han and Wei has exceeded everyone's expectations in terms of scale and duration.
It has already rained twice in the Hedong and Hanoi areas.
The coolness after the rain seems to announce the official entry of autumn.
Although the Central Plains area is not like the Hanzhong area, continuous autumn rains often occur in August and September.
But there will be a few autumn rains more or less.
After several successive groups of scouts reported that the Western bandits had indeed retreated, Jiang Ji could finally breathe a sigh of relief.
But I still have doubts in my heart:
"Why did Thief Feng retreat halfway?"
Maybe it was because the autumn rain made it difficult to walk on the mountain road, which made Feng Thief retreat.
I think back then, when Cao Zidan wanted to go to Longyou, the partial division he sent had to walk in Ziwu Valley for a month because of heavy rain, before they could barely complete half of the journey.
Could it be that... things are changing?
Now it's Feng Thief's turn to be stumped by Qiu Yu?
Jiang Ji himself felt that this idea was a bit ridiculous, but for a while, he couldn't think of any other reason.
However, his doubts did not last long.
The transmission of news in Wei may not be as smooth as Ji Han.
However, the critical military situation on the southern front was related to the gains and losses of the Central Plains. Three days after Feng Yong withdrew his troops, it was finally delivered to Jiang Ji as quickly as possible.
"What happened to Hangu Pass and Shaanxian County?"
Jiang Ji took the military report and suddenly felt like the world was spinning.
"Aren't we on the Maojin Ferry side always on guard? How could something happen?!"
Jiang Ji's lips were trembling. If he hadn't cultivated himself over the years, he would have almost cursed.
Hangu Pass can be understood. After all, facing Tong Pass, it is normal for people to attack it.
But the inexplicable loss of Shaanxian County really made him feel a little unreasonable - strictly speaking, it was not lost yet, but it was basically a matter of time.
The defenders of Shaanxi County have been cut off from their retreat. How many days can they hold on?
"What do the defenders of Maojin Ferry do for food? They don't even know how the Western bandit army crossed the river?"
Maojin Ferry was lost so quickly that no one from the defenders ran out.
As a result, Luoyang only knew that the Han army had crossed the river from Maojin Ferry, but how they got there is still a mystery.
Not to mention why the defenders of Shaanxian County allowed the Western bandit army to cross the river without any reaction, but instead cut off the other party's escape route, which is even more of a mystery.
Jiang Ji was about to curse, but suddenly thought of something:
Where did the army of Western thieves at Maojin Ferry come from?
Thief Feng?
In the past few days, Thief Feng has been making great efforts to attack Zhiguan.
Now it has started but ended, and retreated in an extremely strange way.
Could it be that he is defrauding me?
Is it actually to cover the bandits who are going to sneak across Maojin Ferry?
As soon as he thought of this, Jiang Ji was so frightened that his eyes widened, his mouth opened wide, dumbfounded, and cold sweat broke out on his back.
After a long time, Jiang Ji finally closed his mouth and squeezed out a sentence from between his teeth:
"Thief Feng, treacherous!"
A sound like a cow's gasping was heard from his mouth and nose.
The dizzying feeling came again.
"Master, Ji is incompetent and has been deceived by thieves. Luoyang...can't be defended anymore!"
By this time, he had fully understood.
Thief Feng simply used himself as bait, made such a big noise, and deliberately drove slowly on Zhiguan Road, just to focus all eyes on him.
In fact, he had already sent another army from Hedong, quietly passed through the pass between Wangwu Mountain and Taihang Mountain, and ambush at Maojin Ferry.
Just wait until the time is right to cross the river in one fell swoop.
No wonder, no wonder Feng Thief suddenly retreated.
Just because he has achieved his goal, he no longer needs to act for himself in Zhiguandao.
Thinking that I was over sixty years old, I was being played with by a child.
After figuring this out, Jiang Ji couldn't help but feel ashamed, ashamed, angry and angry:
"Thief Feng, you've gone too far!"
Then he felt a sweetness in his throat, and with a "wow" sound, he spit out a mouthful of blood, turned over and fell over, feeling so out of breath that he passed out.
Just when Jiang Ji fell into a coma, Sima Shi, who was still staying in Gaodu City, had not yet received news of the crisis in Luoyang.
At this time, he had just had his sarcoma removed, and he was wrapping his left eye with a white cloth, looking somewhat like a one-eyed pirate.
Niu Jin, who was following him, was quite worried about his health and persuaded him more than once to return to Luoyang to recuperate.
Master Sima naturally refused.
So Niu Jin advised again:
"The Central Supervisory Army is ill. If you don't want to return to Luoyang, you can retreat to Tianjing Pass."
Master Sima pointed to the north and sighed:
"General Niu, I don't want to retreat, but the traitors have a large army heading north a few days ago, and most likely they are going to attack Shangdang."
"The Shangdang is in danger, and I have the strength. If I retreat without fighting at this time, and just sit back and watch the traitors attack friendly troops without caring, how will I gain a foothold in the army in the future?"
Master Sima is not a stupid person. He knows very well why the Lord allows him to lead the army alone this time.
Things were going very smoothly.
Wei Yan has a great reputation among the Western Bandit Army, and it is his first time to lead an army. He does not dare to expect to defeat this man head-on, but the Lord has already paved the way for him.
As long as Wei Yan is defeated in the end, he will naturally take some credit for this matter.
But something went wrong in the end.
During the battle at Gaoping Pass, all the soldiers saw his embarrassed appearance, and he had already lost a lot of prestige.
If he retreats without a fight at this time, he may never have the opportunity to lead an army again in his life, let alone be given an important responsibility by an adult.
Therefore, Master Sima knew that even if he could not cross Gaoping Pass to support his eldest son, he would still act as if he could attack Gaoping Pass again at any time.
At least on the surface, we should try to delay the rebels living in Gaoping Pass so that they dare not leave the pass and go northward without any scruples.
It's not that he doesn't want to retreat, but that he has no way to retreat now.
In other words, since we haven’t had a chance to withdraw yet, we have to have a justifiable reason, right?
Of course, Master Sima knew about Sima Yi's plan.
Moreover, Shangdang's side has also sent him the latest news via Hanoi.
Sima Division was waiting for the news that the Shangdang garrison had returned to Hanoi, so that he could legitimately withdraw.
Seeing that Master Sima could not be persuaded, Niu Jin could only sigh helplessly:
"Central Supervisory Army, do we still want to test today?"
Master Sima smiled and said:
"Why don't you go? The thieves dare not go out to fight. This is the time to boost the morale of our army and wash away the humiliation of the previous defeat."
After learning that the army of Western bandits in Gaoping Pass had gone north, Sima Division did not dare to neglect. He sent a group of troops and made a gesture of attacking Gaoping Pass again.
Who would have expected that the current garrison in Gaoping Pass would only focus on guarding the pass and protecting the retreat of the rebel army in the north, and did not even think about leaving the pass to fight.
After Sima Shi's first test failed, he sent men and horses several times.
Even in the last two times, they directly provoked Guanxia. Even if their own sergeants shouted insults at Guanxia, the Western thieves in Guancheng seemed to be deaf and ignored them at all.
After these days of testing, even if Master Sima is inexperienced, he can still tell:
The Western thief is determined to cross the Danshui River and capture the eldest son!
Thinking about it, the main force of the army must be in the north. Nine times out of ten, only the thieves who can barely guard the pass are left in the city.
It is estimated that the general of the Western Bandits in Gaoping Pass knew that he had few soldiers, so he retreated to avoid the battle.
However, even if he guessed the truth and falsehood of the opponent, there was still no good way for Master Sima to face the thieves huddled in the pass.
After all, he neither dared to raise his army to attack the city, nor did he dare to bypass Gaoping Pass and go north.
Because when the army is mobilized to attack the city, let alone whether it can be captured, if the main force of the rebel army in the north suddenly turns around, it will be a dilemma.
And if we bypass Gaoping Pass and go north to support... when the thieves cut off the escape route from Gaoping, we will be like a bird and become the second Zhao Kuo.
Faced with this retreating tactic, Master Sima was helpless. All he could do was to send people to the pass every day to scold and provoke them to see if they could attract the rebels from the pass.
After hearing Sima Shi's explanation, Niu Jin thought about it too.
The previous defeat destroyed some morale in the army.
Now that they have been bullied under the eyes of the thief army, the thief army cannot retreat.
Over the past few days, the soldiers have taken turns yelling and scolding each other, which can be considered a breath of bad breath.
"Okay, then the general will lead the army forward."
"Hey, General Niu, these days, every time you go there in person, you are also tired. Now that the army officers have recovered, you can have a good rest."
Master Sima waved his hand. He knew that if it weren't for Niu Jin, even Tianjing Pass would have been stormed by the bandits last time.
"This time, let me go."
As a general, he should show his face.
Niu Jin advised with some worry:
"No, the central supervisor is ill, how can he go to the front of the battle in person?"
It's because of what I look like now that I go to the front of the formation to let the soldiers take a look!
Naturally, if you can save a little bit of the face you lost in the previous defeat, you should try your best to save it.
But seeing Master Sima’s attitude resolute:
"Needless to say, after recuperating for so many days, I feel much better and no longer feel pain."
"I have not appeared in the army these days. Going in person this time will also give the soldiers peace of mind."
Hearing this, Niu Jin felt that there was some truth in it, so he had no choice but to stop persuading:
"The Central Supervisory Army must be careful."
Master Sima smiled and said:
"It's just calling a thief, why worry?"
After saying this, Master Sima personally led the front army to Gaoping Pass.
Following the old rules, more than a dozen soldiers with loud voices swaggered forward and shouted curses.
At the same time, Master Sima ordered people to set up a table and sat in front of the case, watching the sumo wrestling of the sergeants in the army.
Since the general came in person, the Wei army's sergeants seemed particularly energetic today.
Not only was his voice a bit louder than before, but the generals who were watching the sumo wrestling also laughed loudly on purpose, quite unscrupulously.
Compared to the generals who were laughing wildly, Master Sima sitting behind the desk was more careful.
Although these days, the Western thieves have not dared to come out to fight, but he still asked the soldiers behind to set up arrays, just in case.
Watching the sumo wrestling show of the soldiers, listening to the soldiers shouting and cursing in different ways, and then watching Gaoping close the city gate tightly,
At first, Master Sima felt it was a bit novel and quite interesting.
In addition, after suffering a loss at Gaoping Pass the previous time, he led the army back again. Looking at the thief army that was unable to retreat, he felt a little more comfortable.
It's just that as the sun goes directly overhead, the novelty wears off.
The bandit army on the opposite side looked like they were all dead, with no movement at all.
This gradually made Master Sima feel a little bored.
It rained the past two days. Although it is not too hot, the weather in autumn is always relatively dry, making people easily dry.
After sitting there for an unknown amount of time, Master Sima finally stood up impatiently, built an awning and looked at Gaopingguan.
Except for the traitor flag that hung lazily and didn't want to move, not a single traitor soldier raised his head to take a look.
It is estimated that the other party has become accustomed to it in the past few days, so he might as well just ignore it.
Master Sima turned around again and looked at the soldiers behind him.
After standing for nearly half a day, although the sun was not too bright, the soldiers were no longer as energetic as they were at first, and even their formations seemed a bit scattered.
Some people even took off their armor privately and sat on the ground to rest.
Even the general who was laughing before was already laughing a little weakly.
As for the scolding sergeants, there have been several changes.
Anyone who knows the military should know that this is a sign of restlessness and laziness of the soldiers.
But I don't know whether it was because Sima Division was inexperienced or because he believed that the defenders in the pass did not dare to come out, so he didn't care.
He even went to where the sergeant was yelling and scolding him, trying to make the Western thieves on Guancheng see him clearly.
Unfortunately, there was still no movement in Guancheng.
Master Sima frowned and couldn't help but cursed secretly:
"Is this thief general born in the year of the tortoise? Is he so tolerant?"
Seeing that the sun was beginning to turn westward, he finally gave up and ordered: "Retract the troops."
After the military order was passed down, the Wei army, which originally looked a little tired, immediately reorganized into formation. How could they still look lazy as before?
Behind these Wei soldiers, there was actually a phalanx of Wei soldiers, who were waiting in full formation from beginning to end.
It was not until they received the military order that they began to relax.
Just when Wei Jun was preparing to return to the army, Gaoping closed the door. Someone put down the telescope, looked up at the sky, and suddenly said:
"It's cloudy."
I don't know when a dark cloud came over the sky, covering the sun.
A gust of autumn wind blew up, and the Han army flag that had been hanging down at the top of the city was finally blown up, making a loud sound.
"got windy."
"Isn't it going to rain?"
"possible."
“Will it thunder when it rains?”
"How can it rain without thunder?"
"What if we don't fight?"
"Then we'll call them."
"Hahaha……"
Some laughed wildly, some smiled.
"Wish General Zhang a great victory!"
"I accept the auspicious words of Governor Jiang."
Just when the Wei army turned around and returned to the army, the city gate of Gaopingguan suddenly opened.
At the same time, rumbling thunder began to emanate from Guancheng, causing even the ground to tremble faintly.
"Master Sima, the great Han Anhan General Zhang Bao is here, come and die quickly!"
Under dark clouds and snow, Zhang Bao, who was in his prime of fighting, led the most elite cavalry of the Southern Army, one of the eight armies in Jihan Pass, out of Guancheng.
He gathered his military formation towards Kankan and prepared to break camp and return to the Wei army to charge.
Jiang Bin stood on the top of the city and looked at the Wei army who wanted to lure the enemy, but was tricked by him. At this time, he had no defense at all.
The infantry was in a hurry and it was simply delusional to resist the cavalry charge.
As soon as the two sides came into contact, the Wei army was immediately rushed out of a huge gap.
Jiang Bin sighed with regret:
"It's a pity, it's a pity. The terrain here is not conducive to the deployment of the cavalry. Otherwise, not a single one of the bandits will be able to escape this time."
The terrain near Gaopingguan is undulating and surrounded by mountains.
Bai Qi surrounded Zhao Kuo's retreat and only mobilized thousands of cavalry.
This time Zhang Bao led only two thousand horses.
Two thousand cavalry is not the limit of the Southern Army, but it is the limit of the terrain in this area.
Therefore, this raid is destined to only defeat the enemy, not annihilate the thieves.
The defeat of the rear troops made Master Sima's mind go blank:
"Why are there cavalry in the pass? Did the traitor's cavalry fall from the sky?"
The commotion in the rear began to spread among the Wei army like a plague.
The yelling and scolding was so enjoyable before, but now it is so painful.
"Stop them, stop them quickly!"
"We can't stop it anymore, general, let's go!"
…
"Where is Master Sima? Come out and die!"
Zhang Bao wielded his spear, picking, stabbing, and rushing left and right, like a god of death.
The Wei army in chaos could not organize an effective defense at all.
"General, the flag of the thief!"
"Kill it!"
Seeing the Han army's cavalry, like the tip of a knife, stabbing directly at his own army, Master Sima felt his heart beat faster and his forehead beat suddenly.
"Capture Master Sima!"
"Capture Master Sima!"
Master Sima screamed "Ah", covered his bandaged left eye, and shouted in pain: "My eye!"
In September of the fourth year of Yanxi, Feng Yong finally mobilized the last strategic reserve team after learning that Zhang Yi led the armed guards to successfully attack Maojindu at night.
That is the Southern Army that has been guarding the east of the river.
After Zhang Bao received the urgent military order, he immediately secretly led the Southern Army and rushed to Gaoping Pass as quickly as possible to raid Sima Division.
Master Sima was so frightened that his eyes were knocked out of his sockets.
The Wei army lost nearly half of its troops and retreated to Tianjing Pass in embarrassment.
(End of chapter)
