Shu Chen

Chapter 450

Just to go to the post, Guo Huai and Guanqiu Jian unanimously advised to increase the number of troops. It can be seen that Zheng Pu already has the prestige of "gaining energy before fighting".

But not everyone is afraid of Zheng Pu.

When receiving a letter from Sima Yi asking whether Guanzhong needed to send more troops to Helan Mountain, and if so, how many soldiers and horses should be used as reinforcements, Deng Ai felt that Zheng Pu had nothing to be afraid of, and that Helan Mountain did not need reinforcements from Guanzhong.

At least not now.

There are also good reasons.

First, it is not easy to support oneself in farming in the Helan Mountain area.

Considering that there are still nearly [-] soldiers today, deducting the soldiers outside the garrison camps and garrisons, there are not many manpower for frontier garrison, and the food production will naturally be greatly reduced; It should be divided according to half and half.If reinforcements of three or four thousand soldiers and horses come from Guanzhong, he really has no food to supply.

Transshipment from Guanzhong is also not advisable.

It is true that Ba Pu is in charge of the war in Hexi, but no one can be sure when he will raise troops to attack Helan Mountain!
If the enemy does not come to attack, the reinforcements will not be able to return. The manpower and material resources lost in the continuous transfer of grain and fodder from Guanzhong are too staggering.

If Bapu came to violate the border after one year old, and the reinforcements returned early due to the suffering of food and fodder transfers, it would be self-defeating and demoralize the original soldiers and horses!

Moreover, Zhao Guang, General of Nishu Xiaoqi, has been guarding the Wushui River Valley with his cavalry these past few years, and it is difficult to ensure that he will not be detected by Nishu for a long time, and then be harassed.

Secondly, Deng Ai felt that it was not easy for Nishu to invade Helan Mountain.

The Shu army, which was trapped by grain and fodder, had to suffer from the long-distance transshipment of grain and fodder even if it sent troops to his place, and it did not have the strength to fight for a long time.

Relying on the great rivers and natural dangers, he used Quwu Mountain and Mingsha Mountain as bases for defense, and then ordered Liu Bao of the Southern Huns to send Qingqi to harass the food roads of the Shu army. It would be no problem to resist the Shu army for two or three months.After two or three months, the Shu army will naturally retreat because of the lack of food.

Maybe he still has a chance to chase after him and add another merit to himself!

Again, he was not worried about being breached by the Shu army along Dahe's defense line.

Wei Jun's main farms here are Lingzhou, Dingxi City, and Fuping County, which are not a short distance from Quwu Mountain, which also allows him to have enough strategic depth.

If Ni Shu was lucky enough to capture Qu Wushan's Dahe line of defense, he would transfer to Dingxi City to garrison, leaving Ni Shu in a dilemma.

If they chase after them, it would be a military taboo to go deep into the enemy's territory.He has Shuofang County and Wuyuan County as backup, who will know when the deer will die?If he doesn't come after him, then he will come back to rebuild the fortifications after the Shu army has returned after the strike, which will make him all in vain!
Huh~
The last reason cannot be made public, but because of the arrogance in Deng Ai's heart.

He felt that he was no worse than Zheng Pu!
The reason why Zheng Pu is famous all over the world is just because of his good luck, he was valued by Zhuge Liang, Prime Minister of Shu as soon as he set foot on the official career, and he got the opportunity to display his talents.If he himself hadn't wasted more than ten years and was promoted by Sima Yi, the governor of Yongliang when he reached the crown, his current achievements would be no less than Zheng Pu's!
What is he afraid of!
Furthermore, although the Battle of Helan Mountain allowed him to supervise a department and win the favor of the emperor Cao Rui and Luoyang Gungun, he knew that Sima Yi, not himself, should be the one who deserved the credit.

He wants to prove his talent.

Let everyone in the world know that Sima Yi is a good general who deserves his name without his merits.

Now, the Battle of Liangzhou by Superintendent Scarlett is his best chance.

As long as he can defend Helan Mountain without losing, he will win the generals of Yongliang; if he can defeat the invading Shu army, he will be a good general of the time!
The future Gancheng of Wei State!
Therefore, he quickly wrote back to Sima Yi.

He recorded his own thoughts one by one, and also claimed that he did not need reinforcements from Guanzhong for the time being.

After Sima Yi got the book, he clapped his hands and praised, "Scholars have strong integrity!"

There is also the comfort of "Shi Zai knows my current difficulties" quietly landed in my heart.

Yes, Guanzhong is also facing a shortage of food and fodder.

The previous mobilization of tens of thousands of troops was more than one year old, and he almost exhausted the income he had earned from farming for several years as governor of Yongliang, and also transferred a lot of food and fodder due to the famine in Luoyang.

Last year, the heartland of the Central Plains of the Wei State was flooded, and the state and county governments distributed food to relieve the disaster. Therefore, this year there is no food and fodder to supply the Chinese army stationed in Luoyang.

That is to say, this year Guanzhong will inevitably have to transfer grain and fodder to Luoyang.
Under such circumstances, it is really difficult to send an army to garrison Helan Mountain, and to transfer food and fodder from Guanzhong for a long time!
Therefore, he wrote a letter to encourage Deng Ai, and also claimed that if the Shu army came to attack too quickly, he could find Hu Zun who was guarding Gaoping City for help.

Yes, after deduction with Guo Huai, Guan Qiujian and others, he felt that if Zheng Pu sent troops to Helan Mountain, the time should be after the autumn harvest.At that time, Guanzhong will also transfer grain and fodder into Gaoping City, and it is not difficult to let a soldier and horse carry grain northward to Helan Mountain.

But before his letter arrived at Mount Helan, Deng Ai was already feeling sad.

Although Deng Ai thinks that Zheng Pu is fearless, it does not mean that he will despise Zheng Pu who is good at ingenuity.

Therefore, after learning that Zheng Pu had come to Hexi to take up his post, he handed over the matter of supervising the farmland to his subordinates, and personally rushed to Quwu Mountain to guard the line of defense, and also sent many scouts outside.

I also learned about two military situations.

First, Nishu was guarded by hundreds of iron cavalry from Xiliang, and each led more than a hundred heavy infantry and armored cavalry to perform martial arts on the bank of the Shuiquansha River entering the Wushui River Valley and on the outskirts of Mingsha Mountain.

Yes, martial arts.

That's what the scout said.

But after Deng Ai heard this, he knew that the Han army was conducting field investigations to see if the sandy soil by the rivers in these two places could withstand the charge of heavily armored soldiers and horses.

There are no worthless people under the prestigious name, and that's what he said!

Regarding this, Deng Ai said with emotion in his heart, and also faintly realized: the Shu army may not wait until after the autumn harvest when they invade.
Another military situation is that the Shu army sent hundreds of infantry to settle in the abandoned Naowei County, cutting wood and taking stones, as if to build a military camp along the mountain depression.

Deng Ai couldn't understand this.

Even if hundreds of soldiers came to build the barracks, even if it took several months, it would not be able to build a large scale, and it would be of no benefit to the subsequent battles if they were built first.

But it would not make sense to say that they were building a siege or an outpost.

The Wei army did not have the strength to drive troops into Hexi again or besiege the fortress of Yuyin, and the vast desert with hundreds of miles of uninhabited people was the best line of defense. Why did the Shu army work so hard?
The perplexed Deng Ai, after ordering the scouts to spy all the time, sat alone at the desk and muttered.

"Bi Bapu's move, what is evil?"

"Bo Yue, I want to use you to oversee Helan Mountain and kill Deng Ai!"

In Wuwei County, Hexi Corridor, in Liangzhou Inspector's Mansion, Zheng Pu said to Jiang Wei and Fei Yi with a solemn face.

He just arrived in Guzang County today.

After Fei Yi, who was still serving as the governor of Liangzhou, and Jiang Wei, who was demoted as a general of the gangsters, welcomed him into the governor's mansion, he turned away without even taking a sip of water, and made a loud noise.

To this, Fei and Jiang had completely different reactions.

Fei Yi was slightly stunned, then shook his head and smiled wryly, and went straight to his seat, flipping through the papers and writing.

He has never been involved in military planning.

However, as the governor, he had to prepare for food supplies and people's power for transshipment.

Since Zheng Pufu declared that he would send troops as soon as he arrived, he had to calculate in advance the food supplies and manpower available for the counties and counties, so as not to be in a hurry at that time.It was only last year that Hexi paid off the money he had borrowed from the rich and the right, and it was the spring plowing season that he had to plan to mobilize troops. He really didn't want to raise food again in the way of "eat enough food".

Perhaps, this is why the prime minister asked Zheng Pu to supervise the battle in Liangzhou.

Previously, when Jiang Wei was General Zhengxi, he supervised the battle in Hexi, but now Zheng Pu's authority also covers the two counties of Jincheng and Xiping, and he can also requisition the grain and fodder of these two counties for military warfare.

But Fei Yi still felt embarrassed.

It is impossible for the Han army to use too few troops to travel long distances to attack Helan Mountain, where there are thousands of Wei troops and tens of thousands of soldiers from the Southern Huns Liu Bao.

It is also a huge consumption of food and fodder along the way.

How many soldiers can be supplied with only two more counties of food and fodder?

Can't make ends meet!
Fei Yi lamented in his heart while flipping through the archives of Jincheng and Xiping County.

But Jiang Wei's reaction was different.

After hearing Zheng Pu's words, he was a bit haggard, and guilt suddenly appeared on his face.

In the defeat of Helan Mountain, when the prime minister was repairing the temple in Chengdu, he claimed that the battle was approved by him, and the fault of the people in Hexi was not at fault.Therefore, Jiang Wei, who is the governor, only punished him a little and demoted him to be a general who has no heavy name but a real general.

Such a loving heart made him feel deeply.

Now that Zheng Pu, who is in-laws with Zhang Bao, took office, he didn't criticize him, didn't express his anger at him, and gave him a chance to clean up his failures. How could he not blame himself even more?
In fact, he hoped that Zheng Pu would swear at him mercilessly.

This will make him feel better.

call.
Quietly exhaled a foul breath.

Jiang Wei bowed his hands to accept the order, and said with emotion, "Zijin is the governor of Liangzhou, how dare I not respect the general's order? How to fight, Zijin can give orders. I will not destroy Helan Mountain, I will not kill Deng Ai, and I will not return!"

After finishing speaking, he added softly, "Zijin, it's time for me to save Wenrong, I really can't cross the river."

But before he finished speaking, he was interrupted by Zheng Pu raising his hand.

"Things come and go, the future doesn't welcome, the time is not mixed, and the past is not love. This battle has been concluded by the court, Boyue is more than self-blame, and if we break Helan Mountain and kill Deng Aifang, it is the best for Brother Wenrong Consolation."

At this point, Zheng Pu, with clear eyes, patted Jiang Wei's arm lightly before turning his head and asking Fei Yi, "Brother Wen Wei, do you have a map of the Helan Mountain area?"

Fei Yi didn't answer, but raised his head slightly and made a gesture towards Jiang Wei.

Jiang Wei stretched out his hand sideways, "Zijin, I'm already in the side room, follow me to take a look, please."

"Please."

When I was young, I entered the side room.

The side room should be separated, the space is not big but it looks empty, because there is only a model about the size of a few meters in it.

It imitated Ma Yuan's way of "gathering rice into mountains" in the past to make a map, using silk cloth to wind out the big river and Wushui River valley, using sand to spread out the desert, using mud to create mountains, and using small stones to indicate the city. At the point of garrisoning fields, wooden blocks of different lengths represent the garrisons of the Wei Dynasty and the Southern Huns; while the strength of the Han army and the city fortress or siege are indicated by small needles with red tassel tails.

From Wushao Ridge to Helan Mountain, the terrain and the deployment of the enemy and our troops can be said to be clear at a glance.

"Zijin, this is the map that I made based on the military information obtained by scouts, tortured the captives of the Wei army, and bribed the small Qianghu tribes in the Monan area to describe the landforms. It took me a year to complete the map. There may be errors in their dictation, and it is contrary to Wei. The deployment may change from time to time, but the difference will not be too large."

Jiang Wei didn't wait for Zheng Pu to ask questions, he went straight to explain after entering the house, and took a long wooden stick from a corner, pointing to each place one by one, and told them in detail, such as water sources, trails, and whether the forest is lush, etc. The map cannot be marked and displayed. the ends of the branches.

It can be seen that he has spent a lot of effort in collecting military information.

It should be that he also harbors the idea of ​​revenge.

Zheng Pu, who had seen the map roughly when he was in Ji County, did not interrupt Jiang Wei's narration, and listened quietly with his beard.

After a while, Jiang Wei finally spoke.

"Boyo has a heart."

Zheng Pu first praised with a smile, and then continued, "Since Bo Yue has thoroughly analyzed the deployment of the enemy and ourselves, he must have a strategy to defeat the enemy! I would like to hear the details."

"I do have thoughts, let's just say, Wang Zijin is not stingy to correct."

Gently nodding his head, Jiang Wei spoke modestly, and then uttered all the thoughts in his heart.

"Since Jiangdong Yin attacked Huainan and captured the new city of Hefei, both the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry and the Wuhuan Tuqi have moved to the Central Plains. Now there are not many cavalry in Yongliang! It is said that Sima Yi has already recruited and expanded cavalry in Beidi County , but now there are only a thousand cavalry left in Helan Mountain."

"The fine cavalry in Guanzhong was once defeated by our army, and the former chief general Fei Yao disarmed and returned, and now Deng Ai used the corpses of the dead soldiers of the enemy and us to build the Beijing Temple, and lost the hearts of the soldiers, so their morale and combat power Not high."

"According to the scouts, the Qianghu tribe in the northern part of Anding County, because of the relationship between the Wei army's massacre of the miscellaneous Hu, is a sign of renunciation, and no longer has the heart of being a vassal to help the war. At the beginning of the year, Liu Bao of the Southern Huns was awarded the Great Shanyu against the Wei Dynasty. He is a cunning person with two minds, and he will not do his best to oppose Wei."

"Our Xiliang iron cavalry gathers like hills and mountains, disperses like wind and rain, moves swiftly like thunder and lightning, and is as swift as eagles and falcons. It is especially good at running for thousands of miles; and it has been in the army for decades, and there is no fear of morale collapse after prolonged battles or deep enemy territory. Therefore, it can be said that our cavalry can defeat that here! Therefore, I secretly thought that before the battle started, our army could ride into the enemy's territory from here to invade and harass them."

"Look, Zijin, this is the road I want to ride on."

At this point, Jiang Wei used the slender stick in his hand to draw over the map, from the Shuiquansha River behind the fortress of Yuyin to the Wushui River Valley (later Tongxin County), and then across the desert to the Kushui River (later Hongsibao District), Then it went north along the Kushui River Valley to Dingxi City and Fuping County (both on the south bank of the Yellow River).

Zheng Pu's eyes followed the point of the slender wooden stick, and he felt that it was feasible.

Gein's journey may seem far away, but it is actually not difficult to walk.

For example, Kushui River Valley - Nishui (Malian River) River Valley, from the beginning of Qin Mengtian's northward attack on the Huns, was the main route connecting Guanzhong to the Hetao Plain!
Now that Jiang Wei plans to march in this way, the only danger is how to avoid being discovered by Niwei Rangers when crossing the Wushui River Valley, and set up an ambush in Dingxi City in advance.

"Zijin, now that Wei Wei and Deng Ai are deploying defenses on the south bank of the river, the garrison is guarding the place where the black water flows into the river. Due to the long distance, we have no precautions that our army will detour thousands of miles from this route and enter the heart of the village. Our army selected a thousand sharp men from Xiliang's iron cavalry, one man and three horses, and charged away, there must be no surprise!"

"If things go well, our army can destroy all the farmlands of Ni Wei in the Helan Mountain area, and kill all the cattle, sheep, war horses and horses he raised, so that he will have no food to eat this year! At this time, our army will drive the soldiers to look at Mingsha Go up the mountain, and when there is no food, he will collapse without fighting!"

Naturally, for the generals, think about defeat before thinking about victory.

After Jiang Wei talked about his plan, he pointed out the shortcomings of this strategy.

"Zijin, there are two hidden dangers in my plot."

"Firstly, before dispatching the cavalry to cross the Wushui River Valley, our army needs to take the main offensive posture in the Mingsha Mountain area, and attract all the soldiers and horses against the Wei Dynasty to the west of the river, so that Bi Dengai has no time to distract himself from the Wushui River Valley."

"On the other hand, Liu Bao of the Southern Huns is now colluding with Wei Wei. The rangers of the Southern Huns are fighting head-on, and their combat power is really not comparable to that of our army's Xiliang cavalry. However, Xiliang's war horses are good at charging, while the Southern Xiongnu's war horses are like Chao Cuo in the past. "Yan Bing Shi Shu" "Up and down mountains and hills, in and out of streams, China's horses and horses" are better at trekking. If our army succeeds in attacking Dingxi City and Fuping County, Liu Bao will use thousands of horses to fight against Wei Guanzhong. If the cavalry are encircled and suppressed, the thousands of Xiliang iron cavalry who have driven away for a long time may not be able to return! Therefore, if Zijin takes this plan, please use me as a general to lead the cavalry away."

"Hehe, what a coincidence!"

After hearing this, Zheng Pu smiled, "I can resolve all the concerns Bo Yue said, and one of them is already in preparation!"

"Zijin is serious?!"

Immediately, Jiang Wei was overjoyed and asked back.

Immediately, he reacted again, and his face became even more joyful, "Is Zijin implying that he will send troops according to my plan?"

"Ah."

Zheng Pu nodded, and said slowly, "Before I came to Hexi, I also thought about how to attack Wei's important fields. The plan is roughly the same as that of Boyue, but not as detailed as Boyue's. As for how to resolve the hidden danger that Boyue said "

With a final note, Zheng Pu took the slender wooden stick in Jiang Wei's hand and tapped it on Naowei County, "I have asked Brother Xiuran to send troops to build a small camp here to store the grain and fodder for transshipment. When Bi Deng Ai Ruo sees the troops transporting grain and fodder, he will definitely not be distracted from the Wushui River Valley."

Jiang Wei was stunned.

When he was young, he said softly, "Zijin stored food and fodder here because he decided against Wei Wei and dare not abandon the camp to fight?"

"Well, he dare not."

Zheng Pu nodded, and then smiled again, "If he dares, I will give him the food and fodder."

Uh.
Looking at Zheng Pu's smile, Jiang Wei suddenly understood.

Liangzhou, where food and fodder has been in short supply, how can there be excess food and fodder stored under the noses of the enemy!
Zijin must be cheating!
However, it is not difficult to see through this fake grain transportation deceit. Will Bi Niwei fall into the trap?

In other words, Zijin has other plans?
Jiang Wei has a lot of thoughts in his mind, but he can't solve it.

But Zheng Pu didn't say much on this matter, but continued, "Bo Yue is worried that the Southern Xiongnu Liu may help the war against Wei, and it will be easy to resolve it. I can just go to Xuanwei City."

(End of this chapter)