Three Kingdoms: The Kingdom Cannot Be Partial

Chapter 65 Pie in the sky really fell!
"Learn an army into Long? Where will Gongzhi lead an army into Long?" Guanqiu Jian looked at Linghu Yu with a face full of worry and hesitation.

Linghu Yu was puzzled: "If we don't go through Jieting, is it possible to take the narrow road along the Wei River?"

Guanqiu Jian frowned for a moment and sighed:
"Gongzhi must lead an army into Long, I'm afraid this is the only way."

"Zhong Gong, does it mean that Jieting has been captured by the Shu invaders again?!" Captain Lu Zhao, who was in charge of protecting the Xiongnu, was stunned.

Niu Jin, Linghu Yu, Yin Damu and others all froze in expression and looked towards Guanqiu Jian.

Before Guanqiu Jian could respond, Du Xi, the general's military advisor, spoke first: "Zhonggong is right. Jieting must have been captured by the Shu invaders."

Niu Jin: "Why?"

Du Xi pondered for a moment: “Your Majesty has sent several missions, but they haven’t even reached Tianshui.

"Fei Yao, Dai Ling, and You Chu were all badly defeated by Wei Yan recently.

"From this, it can be seen that Wei Yan must have cut off the communication between Tianshui and Jieting.

"Envoy Guo led 5,000 men north to Tianshui, but they were not even enough to defend the city, so there is no way they could send more troops to aid Jieting."

Niu Jin frowned. "Jieting is still being defended by the Right General's eldest son and a captain leading two thousand troops. How could it be captured by the bandits in just a few days?"

Although more than 2,000 people are unable to leave the city to protect the grain route, common sense shows that holding out for ten days or half a month waiting for reinforcements is not a problem. Niu Jinben also plans to send people to Jieting for reinforcements tomorrow.

Guanqiu Jian shook his head and said, "Since the Shu invaders were able to intercept all of Your Majesty's missions, they must have already seized all the post stations along the way.

"Why would we need to attack the city? We can simply disguise ourselves as Wei soldiers transporting military supplies and easily trick them into entering Jieting while the defenders are unprepared."

Niu Jin denied it: "The Right General's eldest son is a cautious person and will not fall for the Shu invaders' evil schemes!"

Du Xi sighed again:
"General Niu, about ten days ago, we in Meiwu saw the Shu invaders sending 10,000 to 20,000 civilians from Weinan to Chencang.

"A few days ago, a small group of Shu bandits, escorting two to three thousand civilians, returned from Chencang along the Weinan River to Wuzhangyuan.

"In the past two days, another 10,000 to 20,000 civilians have been sent back by the Shu invaders. General Niu should have seen them. They are in Weinan and will be able to return to Wuzhangyuan tonight.

"Xi believed that the two to three thousand men a few days ago must have been the Jieting garrison.

"And the 10,000 or 20,000 civilians we saw today, they helped the Shu invaders bluff and capture Jieting, and then went down to Chencang to help the Shu invaders build the city defenses."

Niu Jin froze. "So... the Right General was murdered by the Shu invaders, and the Right General's eldest son has also fallen into the hands of the Shu invaders?!"

When everyone heard this, they all sighed in silence.

The situation in Longyou was completely worse than before the assistance from Guandong.

Previously, You Chu was guarding Nannan, and he took away nearly 10,000 troops of Zhuge Liang.

But now Guo Huai has only five to six thousand men defending the city of Ji County without any help.

Considering the time, if Niu Jin's vanguard was able to reach Chencang from Wudu, then Zhuge Liang must have also traveled from Wudu to Tianshui.

Ma Su, the Shu general who was previously in charge of defending Jieting, was defeated. How could Zhuge Liang still hand over Jieting to a mediocre person like Ma Su?!

The situation was so difficult that even though the people in Meiwu didn't say anything, they couldn't help but sigh in their hearts.

Xiahou Ru, the general who was fighting against Shu, looked at Du Xi:
"Military Advisor, how many Shu bandits are still on Wuzhangyuan?"

Hearing this, Guanqiu Jian, Lu Zhao and others turned their attention back to Du Xi.

The exact number of Shu invaders in Guanzhong will determine whether these 20,000 local thugs will return east or west.

"It shouldn't be many." Military advisor Du Xi said confidently.

"The Shu invaders already had over 20,000 men in Guanzhong, and they sent at least 2,000 to 3,000 elite troops to capture Jieting.

"The four thousand elite troops who were previously sent to monitor Meiwu have now been sent to Zhongzhou on the Wei River to establish a garrison.

"The three or four thousand Shu bandits who had previously blocked access to information at Sanguan have entered Chencang again.

“When the general previously fought against the Shu invaders at Xieshui, most of the Shu invaders were veterans and new recruits.

"Based on this, even if all the Shu invaders in Xie Valley have left, there are no more than 10,000 people on Wuzhangyuan, and most of them are old, weak, and newly recruited soldiers.

"The only thing we need to worry about is the 4,000 soldiers stationed in the Wei River Middle Continent."

"Only four thousand?" Linghu Yu finally heard good news, and then suddenly realized:

"The Shu invaders had no idea that the Right General had been shot by an arrow during his defeat at Longshan and was unconscious!

“That’s why we didn’t gather a large force to intercept them in the north of Wei River, but instead chose to shrink our defense line to Wuzhangyuan in the south of Wei River!

"This shows cowardice. He was afraid that he would be defeated by the Right General in a field battle, so he deliberately let the Right General return to Chang'an!"

Guanqiu Jian immediately realized something:
"Didn't they say there were Shu bandits in Chencang? Who was leading that bandit group?!"

Du Xi saw Guanqiu Jian's expression and immediately realized what was happening. He looked delighted.
"Zhong Gong is suggesting that the commander of Chencang City might be Zhao Yun, the commander-in-chief of the Shu invaders?!"

"Zhao Yun?" Niu Jin, who was stationed at Dasan Pass, was stunned when he heard the voice.

"Zhao Yun is the commander-in-chief of the three armies of the Shu invaders in Guanzhong. How could he be lost in Chencang?"

However, no matter how confused and uncertain Niu Jin was, Guanqiu Jian's expression was already excited:
"Because the Shu invaders don't know that something has happened to the Right General!

"That year, the Right General led 5,000 troops through the narrow path of the Wei River into Long and defeated Ma Chao!
"The rebel leader Zhao Yun must be worried that the Right General will explore the situation in Guanzhong and then make this move again, thus undermining Zhuge Liang's plans for Longyou!

"That's why the Shu invaders in Guanzhong retreated to Weinan and stationed their troops in Zhongzhou! This is to disperse the Right General's forces in Longyou to protect the grain route!

"The reason why Zhao Yun led over 3,000 troops to guard Chencang alone was entirely because he was betting that the Right General would not attack the city, but instead divide his troops to guard Chencang and then march into Long via the narrow road along the Wei River!
"General Niu, Guard General Xiahou, Captain Lu, Military Advisor Du, according to Jian's opinion, speed is of the essence in war. We should send our troops to Chencang immediately!
"Zhuge Liang must have received the news from Zhao Yun at the narrow passage along the Wei River and has already made preparations. Don't attack lightly.

"Since Zhuge Liang needs to divide his forces to defend the narrow passage along the Wei River, the pressure on General Guo of Tianshui will suddenly be relieved. He may be able to hold out until Sima Gong arrives to provide assistance!
"Chencang has 3,000 defenders, and our 60,000-man army in Guanzhong may not be incapable of capturing Chencang! Capture and kill the bandit leader Zhao Yun!

"Even if they can't, won't the Shu invaders come to rescue Marshal Zhao Yun when they see him surrounded?
“To command fifty or sixty thousand men to march to Long and fight against Zhuge Liang with a magnificent battle formation, there is indeed no one here who is capable of doing this.

"However, each of us can lead 3,000 to 5,000 soldiers to defend our respective camps, surround Chencang, fight off the reinforcements from the Shu invaders, and then wait for Sima Gong's reinforcements from the east. Holding out for more than 20 days shouldn't be difficult, right?

"Once Sima Gong arrives, will Zhao Yun at Chencang have any chance?!"

"Zhonggong still doesn't want to send troops to Long, but wants to leave General Guo and thousands of loyal and righteous men to fend for themselves in Longyou?!" Linghu Yu asked angrily.

"What if Zhuge Liang didn't divide his troops to guard the narrow road along the Wei River?

"Well, if none of you go to Long, I will lead the troops and supplies from Hedong to Long to rescue you. If I die, I die!"

After saying this, Linghu Yu waved his sleeves and walked out, as if he was determined to go to Long, as if he wanted to repeat the glorious record of Zhang He's 5,000 men who launched a surprise attack on Ma Chao and won a great victory.

Everyone felt helpless as they watched Linghu Yu's hurried back, but no one tried to stop him.

Linghu Yu must have forgotten that it is difficult to transport grain through the narrow path of the Wei River.

The 5,000 men who followed the Right General and abandoned their food and supplies to go up to Long were all elite soldiers. Moreover, the prestige of the Right General as a veteran of the battlefield was the support that enabled those 5,000 elite soldiers to maintain their morale even without subsequent food and supplies.

In other words, if they wanted to climb up Long from the Wei River, not to mention that their soldiers were just a bunch of unarmed people, even if they had a group of elite warriors who had experienced many battles, they would probably all run away halfway up the mountain under the command of these commanders who had no qualifications, prestige or military achievements.

"I think the Zhonglang Jiang's strategy is acceptable."

Lieutenant General Niu Jin thought about it again and again and felt that Guanqiu Jian's method was the best option.

There are only 20,000 Shu invaders in Guanzhong, and the Wei army has 50,000 to 60,000 troops surrounding Chencang. Zhao Yun is fighting for reinforcements and waiting for help. Isn't it a sure death for him?

Du Xi stepped forward and said, "I also think Zhonggong's plan is very good."

Lu Zhao, Xiahou Ru and Yin Damu all nodded without expressing any objection.

After a moment, Du Xi seemed to have thought of something and looked at Guanqiu Jian again, his expression slightly gloomy:

“Zhong Gong, besides the Shu invaders in the south, we also need to be wary of the rebellious Qiang people in the north.

"The general originally intended to defeat the Shu invaders in Xiegu before going to Anting to suppress the rebellion, but he never imagined..."

Upon hearing that Anding had rebelled against the Qiang, Lü Zhao, the commander of the Xiongnu defense force, immediately spoke out:

"Military Advisor Du, there's no need to worry. As long as we can keep the people's hearts divided, the rebellious Qiang won't dare to leave the county. At most, they'll send out one or two thousand light cavalry to harass the grain route. There's nothing to worry about!
"Your Majesty urgently ordered me to lead 3,000 Southern Xiongnu cavalry here to protect the grain route because he knew the Shu invaders would definitely contact the Anding rebels."

The Anding Qiang people and the Pingyang Xiongnu lived almost next to each other and were both at the bottom of Wei society. They often traded with each other and exchanged stallions to maintain the quality of their war horses and reduce the probability of diseases such as hoof disease.

Even many Qiang people and Xiongnu were proficient in each other's languages.

Although Lü Zhao, the commander of the Xiongnu protection team, had only been in office for two years, he was already quite familiar with the Anding Qiang and knew that the maximum number of light cavalry his unit could mobilize was no more than two thousand.

Compared with the Xiongnu, the Anding Qiang people prefer to settle down and farm rather than be nomadic.

"Speed ​​is of the essence in war. We should head west as quickly as possible and should not linger in Meiwu for too long. We should give Zhao Yun time to react and leave early tomorrow." Guanqiu Jian thought it over again and again and made a decision.

Niu Jin nodded vigorously and looked at Lu Zhao:
"Captain Lu, while Zhao Yun hasn't received Zhuge Liang's message yet, quickly dispatch two or three hundred cavalry to block the narrow road along the Wei River and the Jieting Road.

"It's time for us to block the Shu invaders' transportation to Guanzhong and Longyou, and cut off their missions."

...

…evening.

On Wuzhangyuan.

I don’t know if it’s because of the sudden change from warm to cold, or because of the Qinling Mountains and the Wei River, but fog starts to form in Guanzhong every time the sun sets.

If the sun doesn't rise the next day, visibility may be less than 100 meters when the fog is thick, and it usually lasts until noon before slowly dissipating.

According to the laborers who worked in Chencang farming, this situation will continue until the beginning of summer, but will reappear at the beginning of winter.

So although the sky was clear today, not long after the sun set, the mist was blown away by the wind, and Liu Chan's vision, who was standing in the north of the plateau, was limited.

Meiwu, thirty miles away, was completely out of sight.

At noon, you could still see the movement of the army sixty or seventy miles away.

However, Liu Chan could still see the Tiger Cavalry who were running quickly westward, exchanging messages, and then slowly galloping eastward at closer distances, such as along the Wei River more than ten miles away.

At this moment, a group of riders exchanged information and rushed to Zhongzhou where Deng Zhi and Zong Yu were stationed.

Not long after, another rider came rushing towards Wuzhangyuan from Zhongzhou.

Liu Chan began to count down silently.

After two hundred and seventy or eighty strokes, the Tiger Cavalry Sima named Huang Chong rushed to the top of the plateau and came to Liu Chan.

"Your Majesty, a grain transport fleet of approximately seven to eight thousand people stopped in Meiwu for less than an hour before setting off again. It seems they have no intention of staying overnight in Meiwu!"

"How many grain ships are there?" Liu Chan asked after thinking for a moment.

"About forty."

forty?

Liu Chan was a little nervous and excited for a moment.

It was already night, but he did not choose to spend the night in Meiwu, but instead took the risk of entering at night. Is there some conspiracy?
And if not, wouldn't it be equivalent to giving away these forty ships of grain?
Deng Zhi and Zong Yu had linked more than 30 boats together with iron chains, divided them into two groups, and hid to the south of Zhongzhou Camp, where Cao Wei could not see them.

Long boards were also prepared for two routes to move forward at the same time. By placing them on the boats, the army could head straight to Weibei.

He also recruited 200 brave warriors who were willing to die, and all of them wore the heavy armor that had been captured.

Like an iron can, he was ready to cross the Wei River, which was a hundred meters wide, at any time, despite the swords, guns and arrows, to clear the way for the soldiers of Zhongzhou.

The Wei reinforcements were able to deliver food so quickly, they must have been miscellaneous soldiers sent from Taiyuan, Hedong and Hongnong. How could they fight to the death with the personal soldiers left behind by Zhao Yun?
The enemy that Liu Chan was worried about and guarded against, and all his arrangements were aimed at dealing with, was not the miscellaneous soldiers coming to support from the east, but the elite soldiers who followed Zhang He down to Long. He wanted to force them to protect the grain road.

Zhao Tong, the Dragon Guard, clearly shared the same idea as the emperor:
"Your Majesty, if this weren't a conspiracy by the Wei invaders, wouldn't we have seized several more ships of grain tonight?"

All I can say is that this is to be prepared.

No one expected that pie would really fall from the sky!
"We can't be careless." Liu Chan suppressed a flicker of fantasy that had just arisen. "What if they also have elite soldiers blocking the bridgehead? We may not be able to get away with it."

After saying this, he looked at Huang Chong again:

"Zhongshang, please convey my instructions.

"Please, General You Zhonglang and Deng Yangwu, proceed with extreme caution and avoid being ambushed by the Wei invaders.

“If you are defeated, retreat back to Central Continent.

“If you win, don’t pursue it too deeply.”

"Yes!" Huang Chong bowed and received the order, then mounted his horse and left.

Liu Chan began to count silently again. Only after Huang Chong entered the camp and disappeared did he glance around the island in the Wei River.

The Central Continent is more than one thousand meters long from east to west, nearly three hundred meters wide from north to south, and three meters higher than the Wei River at its highest point. It is said that even a rising Wei River cannot submerge it.

Yesterday, after Deng Zhi and Zong Yu had completely built the camp, they simply took the laborers to clear the foundation on the island, preparing to build a military fortress that was a hundred feet long, fifty feet wide, and five feet high and thick.

According to Ma Bing, the son of Ma Liang and the head of the Military Works Department, with a workforce of 3,000 people, the project could theoretically be completed in 25 days at the earliest.

However, including the time it took to make the tools and the time delayed by the rain, it actually took about forty days.

It’s not that long.

If Sima Yi really confronted the Prime Minister here after arriving in Chang'an, this small fortress would definitely cause Sima Yi some trouble.

During the Northern and Southern Dynasties, the Eastern and Western Wei dynasties confronted each other. Gao Huan of the Eastern Wei built a city called Zhongyu on a sandbar between Heyang and Heyin, forming a three-dimensional defense system with Heyang and Heyin.

These three cities directly cut off the Western Wei's food supply route along the Yellow River, making it impossible for the Western Wei to transport food through the Yellow River. The food could only be transported by land, resulting in an attack only being launched once every few years, and the army would have to withdraw after fighting for only one or two months.

After the fortress in Zhongzhou of the Wei River is completed, another one will be built on the south bank.

Not only can a more solid Wuzhangyuan-Zhongzhou defense system be built, but even Longyou is basically safe.

Then I can raise horses well.

He also stockpiled some horseshoes, double stirrups, and high-bridge saddles as secret weapons, and unleashed them all at once in the crucial battle that would determine success or failure, giving Cao Rui the shock of his generational lead in equipment.

Xuzheng, which is eight o'clock in the evening.

The fire on the north side of the Wei River was finally approaching Zhongzhou.

Liu Chan asked Zhao Tong to move a wooden chair under the wooden pavilion and sat down under the airtight protection of the Longxiang Guards.

If Liu Chan had worn such a light military uniform and sat on such an unceremonious Hu bed in Chengdu, he would probably have been criticized by Dong Yun for not having the demeanor of a king and not following the etiquette.

"How does this apply to the law?"

"What is the seat of this in the Dharma?"

But I don't know whether it was because he won the battle, or because he took into consideration that it would be bad for the emperor's health to stand or kneel for a long time to look into the distance. In any case, when Dong Yun saw it, he just moved his lips and seemed to be hesitant to say something, and finally said nothing.

So Liu Chan finally got rid of the oppression of his body by the feudal etiquette and sat on the stool. Although he still had to sit upright and not lose his manners, it was finally not so tiring.

"Pijiang, how could a mere few thousand Wei invaders, after a day's journey, dare to transport food at night? Could there really be an ambush?"

Before it was completely dark, more than a hundred riders holding torches patrolled the northern shore of Zhongzhou and cleared the way.

At this moment, two to three thousand torches have arrived at the north bank of Zhongzhou to set up defenses.

The light from the grain ship on the Wei River was still more than half a mile away from Zhongzhou. In the light of the fire, Liu Chan could see the boatmen pulling the boat on the river bank.

"Your Majesty, as long as the Right General of the Central Army and Deng Yangwu do not pursue us too far, I believe we will not be ambushed anyway." Zhao Guang looked at the fire on the grain ship and even felt a little itchy in his heart.

Not long after, Zhao Guang's expression brightened: "Your Majesty, the grain ship has stopped!"

Liu Chan also saw it and nodded slightly.

The grain ship in front did stop at the place where the ship sank, which shows that Zhao Yun's strategy of sinking the ship did work.

The torches of the Wei people on the shore were obviously a little flustered.

"Will Deng Yangwu and the others force a crossing now? Or should they rest for a while and wait until the Wei invaders are exhausted before attacking them?" Liu Chan asked again. After all, it was very stamina-consuming for the Wei soldiers to defend on the shore in armor.

"Your Majesty, the Wei invaders have traveled a long way and are already exhausted. Now their ships have run aground on rocks, and their hearts are in turmoil. It's difficult to turn their ships around, and even harder to get their food ashore. I think now is the perfect time to cross the river and launch a surprise attack!"

Liu Chan thought about it and felt that it made sense, so he continued to wait and see.

The north shore of Zhongzhou.

Linghu Yu and Jia Kui's cousin rode side by side and arrived at the riverside.

"Brother Linghu, why did the grain ship stop here? Could it be that the Shu invaders have tampered with the Wei River?"

"It must have just hit a reef." Linghu Yu remained calm.

With the collision just now, both the boatmen fell into the river, and I don’t know if the boat was damaged or water was entering it.

"Order the servants to move the food off the boat first to prevent the ship from sinking!" Linghu Yu ordered the military commander.

However, before the military commander could receive the order and leave, another grain ship made a muffled bang on the left side of the first ship that had stopped.

For a moment, the soldiers on guard on the shore and the boatmen pulling the boat all became a little noisy.

Linghu Yu's face finally darkened.

"Brother Linghu, things are bad. The Shu invaders are trying to force a crossing!" Jia's son pointed upstream, looking panic-stricken.

Linghu Yu's face suddenly changed and he looked carefully.

Half a mile upstream, I saw several boats divided into two teams, each carrying more than ten black shadows rowing towards the north shore!

"Shoot! Shoot quickly!" Linghu Yu was terrified and kept shouting.

(End of this chapter)