Shu Chen

Chapter 98
"Fufu and juncture are the gates of good and bad in Yizhou."

——Fazheng's "Notes with Liu Zhang"

When the late emperor Liu Bei seized Shu and surrounded Luocheng, Fazheng and Liu Zhangshu persuaded him to surrender, claiming that "Fufu" and "juncture" were the gates of fortune and misfortune in Yizhou, and if they were lost, the blocked Yizhou could not be defended.

Among them, Yufu (Qutang Gorge) has now been renamed Yongan.

The juncture is the first pass in the north of Yizhou, Guancheng.

It is also the starting point of the Golden Bull Road.

Zheng Pu and his party, driving horses and prisoners, have been here for the third day.

Stopping forward is not to miss the majestic beauty of this pass.

Instead, they waited for Ma Dai on the other side of Yang'ankou, and sent troops to come to receive them before they could pass.

Because from Guancheng to Yang'ankou, you have to take the southeast corner of Wudu County, about 120 miles (Han).

Against the Wei, there are many cavalry, and the defender of Guancheng has recently visited again. There is an increase of troops from Longyou under the defense of Wudu. It is better to be careful.

Moreover, because the Han family and Li Shu in Wudu County were all relocated, except for the three counties of Xiabian, Shanglu, and Wudu Dao where Wei troops were stationed, the rest of Wudu were all unmigrated Di tribes. It will cause unnecessary conflict.

This is also the reason why every Guangshi Governor will frequently dispatch small teams to fight with the Wei army and the Di tribe.

In order to ensure the smooth flow of Yang'ankou and Guancheng.

At this time, Zheng Pu stopped on top of a boulder in the pass, and watched the mighty waters of the Western Han Dynasty pass by under his feet. He couldn't help but sigh in his heart.
This water, which merges with the old water and winds into Shu, was renamed the Jialing River, killing the hope of Shu's direct attack on Guanzhong.

At the beginning, Liu Bang, the great ancestor, took Han Xin's "plank road in the Ming Dynasty and Chencang in the dark" to seize the land of Sanqin. Among them, the transportation of grain, glutinous and glutinous goods in Bashu relied on this Western Han River.

At that time, the Western Han River was still connected with the Han River (Mian River) that entered Hanzhong County, forming the Tianchi Daze in Wudu, so that the water flow in the upstream and downstream was smooth, and the ships could travel without worry.

The north can enter Guanzhong, and the west can go to Longyou!
However, after only 20 years of darkening Chen Cang, Wudu ushered in a major earthquake.

The terrain in the southeastern part of Wudu County was raised, the Western Han River and the Han River no longer converged, and even the Tianchi Daze was shaken away.
Losing the water buffer of Tianchi Daze, the Western Han Dynasty was very turbulent when it entered Shu during the rainy season, and the flow was often cut off during the dry season.

Whether it is Bashu or Hanzhong County, there is no longer the possibility of relying on rivers to directly transport grain and haul into Guanzhong. 【Note 1】

Darkness Chencang has become an absolute sound.

The lifeblood of the conquest is broken
Even the Dasanguan that separated Guanzhong and Wudu County was no longer of strategic significance and was abandoned since then.

As far as the land of Bashu is concerned, it is from the battle of the seven heroes of the Warring States Period to the place where Liu Bang, the great ancestor, took the land of the Three Qins. Bashu relies on the Jialing River for continuous blood supply, and its strategic significance has also plummeted.

For example, the earliest Baishui Pass was established in the Jialing River Valley, and now it has been transferred to the Bailong River Valley.

Alas, the way of Shu is difficult!
At that time, the Northern Expedition will be difficult for Guanzhong.

As for the troops entering Longyou, it was also difficult to transport food, food, and transport, and the barren land in the northwest could not be used to support wars, so it was necessary to find a place to settle farmland.

Zheng Pu frowned and half-closed his eyes, thinking quietly in his heart.

But he didn't want to, Fu Yan, who was by his side, had called him softly several times.

Until the sleeve was pulled, Fang woke up from his concentration, Zheng Pu raised his eyebrows and looked at him.

"Sir, it's time for dinner, it's time to go back to the camp."

"Oh~~~ good."

Nodding slightly, Zheng Pu turned around and went back.

On the way, or after being silent for a long time and boring, Fu Yan asked softly, "Sir, I have been thinking about myself for several days, but I still don't understand. On the same day, Mr. released the chiefs of the Di people to return, Shaoxian My brother explained my confusion and claimed that this was a plan of division. However, those chiefs who were attacked by our army and suffered heavy losses must bear hatred. Naturally, they joined forces with the enemy to fight against my big man. What is the reason for the plan of division?"

Well, after the battle of Jinggu Road that day, many tribal chiefs of the Di people were captured.

When Zheng Pu questioned the captives, he learned that the chief officer of Yinping Bridge was the Wudu King Fuzhang who led troops to respond to Ma Chao in the past, and he released all the chiefs.

Just to let them bring a word to the symbol.

"Today, when King Di is defeated, he will be taken lightly by rebelling against Wei, and he will be annoyed by strong thieves. The bridgehead is the throat of Shulong, and it is the place where the soldiers will fight for it! How can he treat King Di as before?"

Naturally, doing so is to sow discord.

But it can make Fu Zhang unable to doubt himself.

Originally, the Qiangdi tribe had a common law of annexation.

Moreover, Fuzhang was King Di of Wudu, and he didn't want to be moved by Wei against Wei, so he came down south to rely on King Di of Yinping.

And defending the bridge and guarding the siege is the sincerity of attachment: using their own tribesmen as the strong side to act as the first line of defense against the Han army.

But this defeat broke the previous tacit understanding.

For the sake of the stability of Longyou and Wudu, Ni Wei would never allow such an important place as Yinping Qiaotou to be guarded by Fuzhang.

And Yin Ping Di Wang Qiang Duan, it is also inevitable, giving birth to the mind that the seal has no use value.

After all, Fuzhang led the tribe to the south and occupied a lot of pastures and fields that belonged to his tribe. The advantages and disadvantages of the two sides were already unequal.

So another idea will prevail.

If the strong side unites with the Wei army and annexes Fuzhang's tribe, everyone will be happy.

On the strong side, it increases the strength of its own tribe.

As for Ni Wei, it is the unity of Yin Ping and people, which can better serve as a barrier for Long You.

As for Zheng Pu, the reason why he released all the tribal chiefs back was to put pressure on Fu Zhang.

These chieftains were all defeated due to the mishandling of the seals, and their tribesmen were killed and captured countless times. When the tribe declined, they were bound to be annoyed, and they did their best to slander the seals.

The three become tigers, and they all talk about gold.

Over time, even if the strong side has no intention of annexation, Fu Zhang will feel that he has been rejected by Yin Ping.

Among them, the relationship is confusing and complicated, and naturally it is not something that Fu Yi, who is twelve years old, can understand.

Therefore, Zheng Pu did not explain much when he heard the question.

But the tone was indifferent, and did not solve the confusion, "The upper armies are attacked, and then they are attacked, and then they are attacked. If you study the "Warring States Policy" thoroughly, you will understand the reason."

"Oh~~~"

A little embarrassed, Fu Yan didn't dare to ask any more questions.

However, he didn't stay silent for long, and then continued to ask, "Then, sir, can you explain my confusion, why don't you take the opportunity to march into the bridgehead? I know that occupying the bridgehead is to prevent the Wei army from leading the army to fight for it. Of course, I also asked. After passing Brother Shao and Brother Yihong, if our army followed behind and chased after the troops, it would not be difficult to capture the bridgehead. better?"

"Heh~~~~"

Turning his head sideways, he glanced at the boy beside him in surprise, Zheng Pu laughed softly.

It also made Fu Yan look even more puzzled, and he couldn't help but asked again, "Sir, is it because I said something wrong?"

"Not at all."

This time, Zheng Pu did not evade the topic, and patiently explained his confusion, "It is true that the bandit army has been defeated and returned, so our army can take the opportunity to encircle the bridge and fight. However, the war cannot be restricted to one city and one. The gains and losses of the land. Let me ask you, what would you do if you were strong for the thieves, or against Guo Huai, the prefect of Wei and Yongzhou, and learned that the bridgehead had been breached?"

"Um"

After bowing his head and pondering for a moment, Fu Yu said with certainty, "If I were them, even if I didn't lead the army to attack Baishui Pass, I would deploy heavy troops to guard the bridge, and I would send troops to patrol Jinggu Road every day."

"Of course."

Zheng Pu smiled, stopped looking at him, and asked again, "Let me ask you again, if the thieves deploy heavy troops on the bridge, how will Baishuiguan deal with it?"

oh~~~
It is natural to increase troops and stick to it, so as not to be exploited by thieves.

After thinking about it in his heart, Fu Yan also suddenly realized, "Sir, I know it! It's just that when my big Han is not on the northern expedition, he should try his best to avoid spending time with Wei Jun's disciples."

"Those who don't seek the overall situation are not enough to seek a domain."

Zheng Pu, who was walking again, exhorted, "Kid, remember, as a general, don't be greedy for small profits and mistake big ones."

"promise!"

And do, and say.

The apprentice asked and the teacher resolved the doubts, and in the careful exhortation, Zheng Pu's strength was crushed, and he instilled it in the young Fu Yi.

Just as Prime Minister Zhuge Liang Yu Xiaoting said to Zhao Yun, conquering the Central Plains is not the work of one generation.

Cultivating younger generations who can inherit the mantle is also a step forward in the revival of the Han Dynasty.

Silent all night.

The next day, at Chen Shi, Zheng Pu finally arrived, and Ma Dai sent over to greet the people.

It was Yang Ji, who had returned to Yang'ankou long ago, and came with two hundred cavalry.

Unexpectedly, Zhang Bao also came along.

If Huo Yi hadn't taken the lead and greeted him with joy, Zheng Pu would not have been convinced that the person in front of him, with neatly trimmed beard, handsome eyebrows, and a faint "poetry and book spirit" in his belly, was Gu Zhangche. Riding eldest son.

However, the body that was more than eight feet long, like a bear, and the loud laughter that sounded like a bell, was quite in line with his father's heroic "enemy of ten thousand people".

After some courtesy, we set off.

Yang Ji spread out the two hundred cavalry soldiers in a half-fan shape, alerting the movement within ten miles to the west.

Zhao Guang led the headquarter to lead the way, and Huo Yi's troops drove the captive horses and carriages to the rear. Zheng Pu, who was very leisurely, listened to Fu Ying's recitation, and walked slowly in the middle of the army.

Occasionally, when I am interested, I will improvise a song on the flute on my lips, just like going out on an outing.

It's just that he didn't notice that Zhang Bao, who was reminiscing with Huo Yi behind him, would occasionally cast curious eyes on him.

In other words, as the Governor of Guangshi, he actually came with Yang Ji, and he had other intentions.

From Guancheng to Yang'ankou, the march took roughly two days.

As for Zheng Pu and his party, they set off twice in the wild because they only set off at noon.

On the second day of the camp, the evening meal had arrived at the place where the Yudai River merged into the Han River. There was no need to worry about the attack or harassment of the Wei army or the Di tribe.

Therefore, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

The soldiers gathered around the bonfire in units of shi, waiting for the evening meal, laughing and laughing.

The barbarians who joined the expedition for the first time each held their fingers apart, looking forward to the rewards of this victory and what they could add to their families.

The court now has strict rewards and punishments, and they were indoctrinated after their first day as soldiers.

Captured in this battle, the imperial court will definitely grant rewards.

Moreover, Zheng Pu, Zhao Guang and Huo Yi have already claimed that they will not take it at all, and will distribute it equally to their soldiers.

However, the division ratios are slightly different.

Divide half of it first, and grant it to those who died in battle and those who were injured and retired, and the rest will be divided equally.

In this regard, the soldiers and soldiers of the South Central School are inexplicably grateful.

After all, for them, the most worrying thing is that their family members who have migrated to Shu have died in battle, and it is difficult to survive.

As for Zhao Guang and Huo Yi's old pawns, they were booing.

They incited their respective superiors and asked him to find Zhao Guang or Huo Yi, and asked if they could slaughter a few of the captured sheep.

In the end, even Yang Ji followed the clamor, joking that Zheng Pu would reward his clan for their hard work.

As a result, the aroma of roasted mutton naturally permeated the entire Jade Belt River.

According to the habit, Zheng Pu patrolled the camp to see that all the soldiers had a full meal, and after returning to the military tent to sleep, he came back to eat.

However, when he saw the fire in front of his army tent, Zhang Bao was sitting on the Hu bed holding a wine bag, and was laughing with Fu Yanyan who was roasting mutton and warm rice.

Seeing Zheng Pu's return, he got up and shook the wine bag slightly, smiling gurglingly.

"I brought some wine and came here to drink it with Zijin."

Hey, are you looking for me?

"Thank you Wenrong for your kindness."

Zheng Pu was slightly surprised in his heart, but also smiled happily, "To be honest, I haven't smelled alcohol for months!"

He grabbed the Yihu bed and sat on it, Zheng Pu took the rice and mutton that Fu Yan handed over, "Brother Wenrong, wait for me to relieve my hunger first."

"Okay, Zijin is free."

Zhang Bao, who had used Mu Shi for a long time, nodded with a smile.

When he was young, Zheng Pu was in a hurry to eat, so he found a reason to send Fu Yan and Hu from Qiya Cuo to rest.

Zhang Bao also handed over the wine bag with a smile.

The two of you come and go, chatting and laughing.

When the wine bag bottomed out, Zhang Bao looked solemn and handed over to ask.

"I heard before that the prime minister often praised Zijin for his strategic thinking. Later, Liu Xiuran was my deputy, and I often heard him mention many times that Zijin's work in planning for the expedition of Peng County. Yesterday, I met with Shaoxian and Yihong. Talking freely, I have heard Zijin’s plan to lure the enemy by setting up Jinggu Road. Therefore, I am amazed, and I have some doubts and want to ask him for advice, and I hope Zijin will not hesitate to understand me.”

"Don't dare."

He hurriedly returned the salute, and Zheng Pu also restrained his face and responded, "If Wen Rong doesn't think I'm stupid, you can ask me. If I think about it, there's no excuse for it."

"good!"

After complimenting, Zhang Bao asked directly, "Zijin thinks that when my big Han is on the northern expedition, where is the best place to send troops?"

"Longyou."

Without hesitation, Zheng Pu blurted out.

Hearing this, Zhang Bao couldn't help but be stunned, Fang Yan smiled, "So Zijin has thought about it for a long time. Well, I'd like to hear the details."

"Okay. Let me just say, if there is something wrong, I hope Wen Rong will not hesitate to correct me."

Nodding lightly, Zheng Pu began to speak eloquently.

"The Northern Expedition is against the Wei Dynasty, and the troops can't be dispatched to the three Dongsan counties, Guanzhong, Longyou Tianshui, and take Yinping and take the Qiang Road to the head of the Longxi River. There are four places to choose from."

"To advance into the three Eastern counties, you must rely on the Han River to travel. However, the water here is swift, and it is easy to advance and retreat, and it is not a good place to use troops. Moreover, the capture of the three Eastern counties will not benefit me as a great Han, and it is not the first choice."

"Taking the head of the Longxi River, although it is possible to capture Jincheng and the Huangshui River Valley, and advance to Liangzhou. However, the front line is too long, and it is inconvenient to transport food, glutinous and glutinous goods, and if the reverse Wei sends a large army to attack Yinping, our generals will not be able to care for each other."

"To take Guanzhong is to take risks. In recent years, the Qianghu in the northwest have frequently rebelled against Wei, and there have been many troops stationed in Guanzhong and Yongliang Prefectures. If the army enters the Guanzhong, if the army is small, it will not be able to match, and if the army is too large, it will be difficult to keep up with the supply of food. Furthermore, today I am a small Han, and the strength of the army is not as good as the army of the Wei Dynasty, and there is no cavalry to drive each other to support each other. Therefore, the Guanzhong area is not one The battle is certain."

"Taking Longyou is different."

"The first is the strength of the troops. Luoyang and Guanzhong marched into Longyou, and the rescue was not a day's work. When our army moved out of Longyou, it could hold the road and go against Wei's reinforcements outside."

"The second one is people's hearts. The massacres committed by Ni Wei in Yongliang and Liangzhou were too great, and many Qianghu tribes were forcibly relocated. The people's grievances were overwhelming. If our army arrives, we will definitely respond, and we will get twice the result with half the effort!"

"Third, it's geographical advantage. There is also a saying in Longyou that there are four fortresses. If our army captures it, we can gather strength and defend ourselves, just like adding another Hanzhong county!"

"Fourth, animal husbandry. If Longyou is captured, the court will get land for livestock, cattle will be able to plow the fields, and horses will be able to fight. It doesn't take ten years of work, the court will have plenty of grain and thousands of horses. At that time, from Hanzhong and the The Long and Right Roads swept through Guanzhong, defying Wei An and fighting against evil?"

"The fifth is the military heart. To gain Longyou is to cut off the connection between Guanzhong and the four Hexi counties. It is not difficult for our army to retake the four Hexi counties westward; it is not difficult to reopen the Silk Road. Chasing profits in the Western Regions will inevitably help the imperial court to fight. The imperial court can be divided into wealthy families, relocated to Longyou, and solved the turmoil of the wealthy families and the invasion of the people. At that time, the imperial court will have enough food and strength to work together to conquer the Central Plains, just around the corner!"

oh~~~~~~
After listening to Zhang Bao, his eyes were sluggish, and he was stunned for a long time.

He couldn't imagine that Zheng Pu had analyzed the pros and cons of the enemy and me, as well as the people of Bashu, so penetratingly.

Is this someone who has never been out of Yizhou?
Or in other words, strategizing and winning thousands of miles, should that be the case?

It was also unbelievable that Zheng Pu, who had only met him for two days, didn't hide his secrets at all, and told everything he thought and thought.

Truly a genius!
It is also possible to become a neck-slaying friend!

It took a while for Zhang Bao to react.

Immediately, he got up and bowed, and said excitedly, "I heard Zijin's words, which made me feel stunned. Now I know why the Prime Minister praised Zijin that he can be compared with Yihou in the future! I say that Zijin is more than Yihou's ability! "

"It's too much! It's too much!"

He quickly got up and helped Zhang Bao up, Zheng Pu shook his head and smiled bitterly, "Wenrong is also annoying me. You and I just express our opinions and gossip, but Wenrong is so pretentious, how can you and I sit again and talk about evil?"

"Hahaha~~~"

Zhang Bao, who has a rather heroic temperament, got up and laughed.

He nodded again and again, "Good! Good! Just like what Zijin said, you and I are just chatting, regardless of the formalities."

After a long laugh, the two sat down again.

But he didn't want to, Zhang Bao suddenly said with emotion, "Hey, don't hide it from Zijin. I thought before that, if our troops were divided into two groups, if we went to Baoxie Valley to break off the right soldiers and horses of Wei Long, and then went to Ziwu Valley to attack Chang'an by surprise, it would The first choice is to win a place in the middle of the war. Now it seems that there are many things wrong."

When Zheng Pu heard this, he was taken aback.

Could it be that Wei Yan and Zhang Bao discussed in private, the plan of the Meridian Valley? ——
[Note 1: When the prime minister Zhuge Liang attacked the central Chencang, Zhang He dared to assert that "Beichen has not arrived, Liang has already left; it is less than ten days to count the Liangliang." The basis is that it is difficult for both Bashu and Hanzhong to transport grain to Chencang Road. 】

(End of this chapter)