Ji Han Da Sima

Chapter 331 Good and bad things
Mian County, the successor of Mianyang City, is located to the north of Han River, behind Yangping Pass, and is embedded with Chenggu City on the east and west sides of Hanzhong respectively. In the middle of the two cities, Hanzhong County governs Nanzheng.

Lu Xun emptied the treasuries of the cities in Hanzhong and transported grain, grass, and weapons into the two cities. Mingzong planned to use 5000 soldiers to defend the city, and he led [-] people to defend Mianyang City.

Lu Xun withdrew his troops and entered the city. Xia Houyuan was busy making moves in the east and west, but no one was watching. He was so lonely that his troops marched into Hanzhong in a mighty manner. At the same time, Ma Chao and Cao Hong also entered Hanzhong from Baoxie Road and Tangluo Road respectively.

The three armies gathered together at the foot of Mianyang City.

In the big tent, Xia Houyuan, the general who conquered the west, was honored. Ma Chao and Cao Hong were separated on the left and right, and the civil and military ministries of various ministries were seated in the tent.

"The outer strongholds and camps in Hanzhong were all abandoned by Lu Xun, so our army was able to raise troops into Hanzhong. Why is this reasonable?"

Xia Houyuan felt uneasy and said: "Although Lu Boyan is a Confucian scholar, he is not a general without plans. This move must have deep meaning."

I don't know why Xia Houyuan has been frightened since entering Hanzhong. Last night when he went to bed, he dreamed of a yellow pig meeting a tiger. Seeing that Lu Xun abandoned the defense of the city now, don't be suspicious.

Zhao Ang pondered for a while and said: "It seems that Lu Xun's tent has few soldiers and horses, so it is difficult to separate and defend the surrounding areas. Now we have no choice but to abandon the outer perimeter and stick to the two cities of Mianyang and Chenggu. We should wait for reinforcements!"

After a pause, Zhao Ang said: "If we can isolate the reinforcements, the soldiers in the city will not see the reinforcements, and the people will be distracted, the two cities will be destroyed soon."

Xia Houyuan stroked his beard and said: "What Weizhang said is absolutely true. The two cities will defend the east and west of Hanzhong, and guard the dangerous points at both ends. If we want to capture Hanzhong completely, we must attack the two cities. Now we must block and reinforce the siege of the city and force the two cities to surrender."

When talking about the two cities, Cao Hong said: "When a certain person entered Hanzhong, he sent people to surrender to become the stronghold general Zong Yu. Zong predicted that the most important thing in Hanzhong would only be Mianyang. If Mianyang can be defeated, Chenggu will surrender without fighting. Today Even if Chenggu surrenders, it will be difficult for our army to conquer Hanzhong if Mianyang cannot be reached."

Apart from Wu Lan, the only person beside Lu Xun who could be trusted was Zong Yu, the chief military officer. Under the crisis in Hanzhong, Lu Xun quickly promoted Zong Yu to join the army, temporarily commanding [-] soldiers and horses to defend Chenggu City.

When Zong Yu learned of Lu Xun's advance plans, he responded to Cao Hong's envoy with these words, causing Cao Hong to temporarily give up the idea of ​​​​attacking the city.

Of course, Zong Xu's words are not unreasonable. Compared with Chenggu City, Mianyang, located to the west of Hanzhong, is like a nail nailed to the fate of Cao Jun's food and grass, and cannot be ignored.

The grain and grass that Cao Jun collected from Longxi and Guanzhong were basically transported to Hanzhong through Baoxie and Qishan roads due to the difficulty of traveling on the Tangluo Road. Next, when the three armies converge, Cao's army's supplies may take Chencang Road, merge into Qishan Road, and be transported to Hanzhong via the Han River.

No matter what route you take to transport grain and grass, you must pass through Mianyang. Therefore, Hanzhong is surrounded by hundreds of miles of mountain roads. It is difficult to transport supplies from Guanzhong to Hanzhong, and it is also difficult to transport supplies from Hanzhong to Badi.

Therefore, if there is not enough food and grass, Cao's army will not be able to expedition to Bashu. They must capture Mianyang, dredge the Han River and food channels, and hoard food and grass in Hanzhong before they can continue their march.

But Mianyang had been repaired by Lu Xun for a year and had been hoarded with food and grass. How could it be so easy to capture Mianyang? It can be seen that Lu Xun's abandonment of peripheral strongholds was definitely not a whim, but a matter of careful consideration.

Xia Houyuan's head hurt slightly. He thought that everything would be fine if he broke Yangping Pass, but unexpectedly he entered Hanzhong and Mianyang was waiting for him.

Xia Houyuan thought about it and asked, "Meng Qi once entered Hanzhong and defeated Zhang Lu. I wonder what his wise ideas are?"

Ma Chao thought for a while and said: "Zhang Fei crossed Micang Mountain and entered Hanzhong. He took Hannan to confront me and then took a small road to enter outside Yangping Pass. Now Micang Road has to be prepared. The general will send soldiers south to occupy Hannan and divide his troops to defend the camp. , to seize the enemy and reinforce the army."

"good!"

Xia Houyuan already had the idea of ​​occupying the enemy, and said: "Lu Xun is holding on to Mianyang and wants to wait for the reinforcements to arrive. Now he should seize the reinforcements from outside, break the strong city inside, and capture Hanzhong. When Mianyang city is broken and the reinforcements are retreated, we will welcome Duke Wei to go south. There is hope for Bashu now!"

With everyone talking, Xia Houyuan figured out a strategy to deal with the enemy. That is to say, they left troops to attack outside Mianyang City, and then divided their troops to Hannan to block the reinforcements.

After pondering for a long time, Xia Houyuan said: "Meng Qi, Zilian, you two lead the soldiers under your tent to repair the equipment and besiege Mianyang City. A certain person led the soldiers to cross the Han River, occupy the dangerous areas in the south of Han, and resist the enemy in the mountain roads, making them unable to Rescue.”

"promise!"

Cao Hong and Ma Chao stood up and accepted the order.

After the military discussion was over, Xiahou Yuan felt palpitated and asked: "Is there anyone in the tent who knows the Book of Changes?"

Everyone looked at each other in shock, and Zhang He asked: "I wonder if the general has any blessings or misfortunes that you want to ask about?"

Xia Houyuan stroked his beard and said, "Yesterday, Yuan saw a yellow pig meeting a tiger in his dream. Is it a blessing or a curse?"

Du Xi frowned and said: "The yellow pig is the wild boar. The tiger is the ferocious beast. When the wild boar encounters the ferocious beast, one of them will be injured if the two fight. General, when occupying Hannan, be careful."

The hair of the wild boar is not black, but has light brown hair. Moreover, wild boars are not ordinary domestic pigs of later generations. They fight extremely ferociously and are at the level of ferocious beasts. When a wild boar meets a tiger, although the wild boar is brave, it still has the opportunity to severely injure the tiger. Of course, if the tiger seizes the opportunity, the wild boar will also be killed.

When Xia Houyuan saw that there was no one in the tent who knew the Book of Changes, he drank some water, suppressed his heart palpitations, and asked everyone to leave.
-
Jiangzhou, Yitang.

Since Huo Jun received Liu Bei's order, he did not dare to neglect and traveled more than [-] miles upstream from Wuhan to Jiangzhou. When he arrived in Jiangzhou, Zhuge Liang personally welcomed Huo Jun into the hall.

"Zhongmiao, from Wuhan to Jiangzhou, the water journey is thousands of miles, and it's a lot of hard work." Zhuge Liang said as he signaled his attendants to serve tea to Huo Jun.

Huo Jun touched his face with a towel and said, "It's all a matter of state. I wonder what the war will be like now?"

Zhuge Liang stroked his feather fan gently and said: "Cao's army must have had a plan to march south. Zhang He and Yang Fu led their soldiers to march from Wudu. Boyan led his army to fight, luring Zhang He to go deep, using the water strategy to defeat the enemy and defeat Cao's army. .”

After a pause, Zhuge Liang said: "Although the battle was won, Cao Cao sent Ma Chao and Cao Hong to advance in separate directions. Boyan was afraid that Hanzhong would be lost, so he abandoned the perimeter and retreated to the two cities of Mianyang and Chenggu. Now Cao Cao's army has penetrated deep into Hanzhong. Judging from the current situation, Xiahou Yuan may have laid siege to Mianyang."

Huo Jun frowned slightly and said: "There are ten thousand soldiers in Jiangzhou, and they are led by Xingba Tun. When Hanzhong was attacked, why didn't Xingba lead his soldiers to go north to help Hanzhong?"

Zhuge Liang sighed slightly and said: "Xingba has ten thousand people under his tent, and they are divided into three camps to dredge the counties. A month ago, the bandit Lan Mian made a rebellion and attacked Zhi County. There were thousands of followers. Xingba He led 3000 men to conquer, killed the enemy generals, and surrendered thousands of thieves."

"When I heard that the military situation in Hanzhong was urgent, I ordered Xingba to gather thousands of troops and march ahead for more than [-] miles. When the troops reached Dianjiang, I heard that Boyan had abandoned the outer city. I was afraid that Xingba would be outnumbered, so I ordered They marched to Hanchang, waiting for Zhongmiao's troops to arrive, and they all marched north to rescue them."

The distance from Jiangzhou to Hanzhong was too long. It was almost all mountainous, and the army would not be able to reach it within a month.

This is also one of the reasons why Lu Xun abandoned his defenses and retreated to the Second City of Hanzhong. The reinforcements were too far away from Hanzhong, and he was afraid that before he could wait for the reinforcements, Cao's army would break through the siege, resulting in the loss of Hanzhong. Seeing that the situation has come to this, Huo Jun also relaxed his eyebrows. Cao's army entered Hanzhong, and Lu Xun defended the two cities. As long as the two cities were not broken, there was hope of defeating Cao's army.

Ok?
Suddenly. Huo Jun thought about the characters and places of Huang Zhong, Xia Houyuan and Hanzhong, and couldn't help but smile. He just didn't know whether Xia Houyuan would die under Huang Zhong's horse in this life.

"What is Zhongmiao laughing at?"

Huo Jun straightened his face slightly and said, "I remembered something funny!"

"What's so funny?" Zhuge Liang asked curiously.

Huo Jun looked at Zhuge Liang and said with a smile: "Jun Su heard that Kong Ming was good at reading the Book of Changes. Is this possible?"

Zhuge Liang nodded slightly and said: "When I was studying in Longzhong, I had a rough reading habit. I wonder if Zhongmiao wants to know whether something is good or bad?"

Huo Jun pondered for a while and said: "General Jun is heading north to Hanzhong. I wonder if Kong Ming can predict the good or bad outcome of this battle?"

"Ha ha!"

Zhuge Liang held a feather fan and said: "Liang is worried about the fortune and misfortune of this battle. When the stars were shining last night, I had already calculated the fortune and misfortune for Zhong Miao."

"Oh?"

Zhuge Liang stroked the feather fan gently and said: "Liang calculated the number of Taiyi last night. The Gang star is in the north and Taibai is in the south of Han Dynasty. The enemy will be very dangerous. This elephant will greatly benefit our army. Zhong Miao will definitely gain something when he goes north."

Seeing what Zhuge Liang said, and thinking of Huang Zhong's killing of Xia Houyuan in history, Huo Jun was doubtful and said with a smile: "It's just like Kong Ming's words!"

Zhuge Liang chuckled a few times and asked, "The situation in Hanzhong may be bad today. I wonder how Zhong Miao wants to advance?"

Huo Jun pondered for a long time and said: "The people of Badi believe in the Five Pecks of Rice Cult. I asked my uncle to take Zhang Lu to Bazhong to recruit warriors from the people to serve as guides and pioneers. Now let Xingba lead his troops to the north. When encountering the enemy, we will stop, repair the fortress, stick to the Shu road, and show that we have no intention of advancing northward."

After a pause, Huo Jun said: "Since the Battle of Chrysostom, General Cao Cao has been very wary of me. Now if he knows that I am going north, he will be on strict guard. When Cao Cao heard my name, he would also come to Hanzhong in person. This general It will be a great disservice to our army. We should tell everyone that the lord has appointed Xing Ba as his commander, and anyone in the army who dares to reveal the secrets of my command will be executed."

As Huo Jun said, Cao Cao has stationed troops in Guanzhong and ordered generals Xia Houyuan, Ma Chao and Cao Hong to advance into Hanzhong. This is already a luxurious regiment.

If it is heard that Huo Jun is going north, it is estimated that Cao Cao cannot stay in Chang'an and will go south to fight with Huo Jun to fight for Hanzhong. By then, Hanzhong will have Cao Cao in charge and Huo Jun wants to save Hanzhong. The difficulty will be different at that time.

"To make the enemy slack and defeat them in one fell swoop, what Bai Qi did in the battle of Changping?"

Zhuge Liang stroked the feather fan gently and said: "Xingba mostly is famous for his bravery. When Zhongmiao first arrived in Bashu, there are few people who know how to do it. This must be possible!"

"I mean so!"

After thinking for a while, Huo Jun asked again: "How is the progress of the three armies' attack on Shu now? I wonder if Baishui Pass can be reached?"

Zhuge Liang organized his thoughts and said: "Zilong is besieging Jiangyang City and wants to persuade Cheng Ji to surrender. General Yide must have someone inside to respond to Yang Han, and he takes the Bieling Gorge on the Tuojiang River and approaches the outside of Chengdu. General Guan leads the army to the middle water. It first takes the Baishui and Jiameng Passes from the north to close off the communication between Chengdu and the Central Plains, and then goes south to Chengdu."

"Is Zhongmiao worried about the war in Hanzhong and wants to use the troops to attack Shu to leave Jiameng Pass and harass Cao's army's food route?" Zhuge Liang asked.

Jiameng Pass is connected to Jinniu Road, and through Jinniu Road you can reach Qishan Road. If troops are sent from Jiameng Pass, they can completely insert between Yangping Pass and Wudu and destroy Cao's army's food route.

Huo Jun nodded and said: "Someone has this idea, but it is not for today's use. If troops can enter Hanzhong, this method may be useful. Then I will have Kong Ming to contact the generals who will attack Shu."

"good!"

Zhuge Liang smiled and said, "I wonder when Zhongmiao will go north. Do you want to rest in Jiangzhou for a few days?"

Huo Jun shook his head and said: "Soldiers are valuable and quick. I will go to Bazhong immediately and then join Xingba to relieve the difficulties in Hanzhong."

With that said, Huo Jun did not waste any time, asked Zhuge Liang to resign and left the hall.

Zhuge Liang personally walked to the door and looked at Huo Jun's back before he stopped.

The thin scholar asked: "Military advisor, did you really see auspicious celestial phenomena last night? An enemy general will be killed in Hanzhong?"

When Zhuge Liang saw it was Deng Zhi, he smiled and said: "How can we rely on celestial phenomena for marching and fighting? What Huo Du asked is just for peace of mind!"

Deng Zhi, courtesy name Bonmiao, was from Nanyang. He entered Shu in his early years and took refuge with Pang Xi, the governor of Brazil. At that time, Pang Xi returned and surrendered, Zhuge Liang entered Ba, met Deng Zhi, and they got along well with each other, so he promoted Deng Zhi to an official to help Zhuge Liang govern Ba.

"This~"

Seeing that Deng Zhi couldn't understand, Zhuge Liang said: "Huo Du has experienced hundreds of battles, and he has won everything he fought. Now that we are going north, if we can relieve the siege, we may gain something!"

"What if we don't kill the enemy general?" Deng Zhi asked puzzledly.

Zhuge Liang stroked his feather fan gently and said with a smile: "Whether we kill the prisoners or not, you will know after watching the battle. It is all groundless speculation for you to say now!"

After a pause, Zhuge Liang ordered: "Anyone who has seen Huo Du today must not tell outsiders that Huo Du has entered Shu. Anyone who disobeys will be killed."

"promise!"

(End of this chapter)