Ji Han Grand Commander

Chapter 559. Yique Pass

"Everyone, look, what does the Governor of Henan mean by asking for war?"

Cao Li had no expression on his face, but his heart was full of questions and a hint of anger. Wasn't what he said clear enough? The main purpose was to defend Luoyang. Now going out to fight the Han army would be like asking for death. It was such a simple order, and Xiahou Mao was still asking for a fight. It was a bit too stupid.

"Your Majesty, there is something else going on here."

As soon as Cao Li finished speaking, Chen Qun stepped out and saluted.

"Oh? Why does the Minister of the Chancellery say this?"

Cao Li also attached great importance to Chen Qun's opinion. After all, Chen Qun was an important minister who supported him to ascend to the throne. He was also one of the few important ministers who could share the worries of the Great Wei. Cao Li would definitely consider his words.

"Your Majesty, according to the messenger, this incident was caused by the provocation of General Xiahou by the Han Army's Grand General Feng Xi. This Feng Xi is very good at guessing other people's minds and using words to anger and deceive others. Including General Xiahou Ba, many of our generals have been killed by this villain.

This time it was because Feng Xi gave Commander Xiahou a set of women's clothing and angered Commander Xiahou with his words, it was not Commander Xiahou's original intention. "

Chen Qun knew that he could not offend either Xiahou Mao or Cao Li, so he simply attributed the matter to Feng Xi's conspiracy, which would save face for both sides.

"I see. So what does the Minister of the Chancellery think should be done about this?"

After hearing Chen Qun's explanation, Cao Li felt a little better and quickly asked Chen Qun how to deal with the situation.

"Since Commander Xiahou has asked your majesty for his opinion, he should not go to war. Your majesty can immediately draft an edict to order Commander Xiahou not to go to war, and let Marquis Anningting and his brother supervise the commander together."

Chen Qun also saw that Xiahou Mao was not suitable for commanding troops, either in terms of personality or experience. However, changing generals before a battle was a taboo in military strategy. Now they could only make the best of their mistakes and defend Luoyang. In a few days, General Cao Zhen would return to Luoyang, and the troops would definitely be led by the general. Xiahou Mao could just find an excuse to let him stay at home.

"Okay, in that case, Shangshu Ling will immediately draft an edict to prohibit the governor of Henan from going to war. If there is any violation, An Ning Ting Hou has the right to take over the military power. No matter what, the first priority must be to defend Luoyang!"

Cao Li looked a little unhappy. He felt very strange. Not to mention his grandfather Cao Cao, even when his father Cao Pi was alive, the situation was not so corrupt. How come when he succeeded to the throne and became emperor, all the wise ministers and generals of the Wei Dynasty became like this?
"The minister obeys the order."

Chen Qun was slightly relieved when he saw that Cao Li also agreed to his proposal. Later, he only needed to draft an imperial edict to restrain the somewhat confused Xiahou Mi.

But in fact, there is no need to be so troublesome. Xiahou Mao calmed down for an hour and recovered his strength. How could he dare to propose a decisive battle with the Han army?

However, after Feng Xi sent a letter by pigeon, the spies in the city began to spread rumors again, saying that Xiahou Mi had been provoked by the Han army and wanted to fight a decisive battle with the Han army. They were afraid that the fall of Luoyang was imminent. The people in Luoyang were in panic, and many people rushed to leave the city to escape, causing great chaos in the city.

In the end, it was Chen Qun who slammed the table and ordered that the people in the city were not allowed to leave freely before the Han army retreated, otherwise they would be treated as Han army spies. Only then was the situation in Luoyang barely stabilized.

However, due to this delay, the Han army had already reached Yique Pass. After reconnaissance in the past two days, it was discovered that there were not a small number of soldiers and horses at Dagu Pass and Yique Pass, and they were reinforced by 5,000 soldiers and horses under the order of Xiahou Mao. In this case, Dagu Pass was still a long way around, and since they both needed to cross the Yi River first, it would be better to cross it early than at night.

If they attacked Luoyang from Dagu Pass, Xiahou Mao's control of the Yi River would be a big problem. But if they crossed the river before attacking Yique Pass, the Wei army would not be able to interfere with the Han army's crossing. However, Feng Xi naturally could not burn his boats, so he left 10,000 soldiers to Xiang Chong and asked him to guard Guangcheng Pass to prevent the Wei army from cutting off the Han army's retreat.

There is a plain in front of the west side of Longmen Mountain where Yique Pass is located for the army to be stationed. The Han army is also stationed here. From time to time, scouts climb up Longmen Mountain to spy on the situation inside Yique Pass.

The Han army had things like telescopes, so they could easily see the situation at Yique Pass without the soldiers inside the pass being able to detect it.

"General, it seems that the soldiers guarding Luoyang are not elite soldiers. Their quality is obviously much worse than that of the Wei army in Wancheng."

Ma Su himself once climbed the mountain to spy on Yique Pass. After returning, he immediately advised Feng Xi that it would not be difficult to break through the pass.

"That's normal. The elite troops of the Wei army are now scattered everywhere. Those who can be mobilized are either on the way or have been wiped out. What we have in front of us now are probably some county soldiers or private soldiers."

Feng Xi was not too surprised by this. Although Cao Wei was vast and rich in resources, elite soldiers were not like cabbages in the field that could be produced in waves every few months. Moreover, Cao Wei had suffered from natural disasters and man-made disasters for years, and it was already difficult to maintain nearly 300,000 troops in the three war zones. It was impossible for it to have 100,000 or 200,000 in reserve.

But now that Luoyang is imminent, it would not be difficult for those aristocratic families that are deeply bound to Cao Wei to make an effort to gather some servants and private soldiers for the Wei State. It is estimated that there will be such an army that seems to have appeared out of thin air when they arrive in Luoyang.

"Let's just bring the battering ram tomorrow and try it out. If the enemy's skills are really that poor, we can just set fire to the city gate."

Feng Xi nodded and agreed with Ma Su's suggestion. Now that Cao Zhen was about to return to defend, both sides were in a hurry. If he could break through Yique Pass and approach Luoyang before Cao Zhen returned, it would definitely be beneficial to him.

If we wait for Cao Zhen's army to arrive, we will be stuck here and really put in a passive position.

"Yes, I will make the arrangements later. Which general should lead the siege this time?"

Ma Su bowed and asked about the generals who were going to attack the city.

"Well... I will personally take charge of the central army. You will lead 10,000 soldiers tomorrow, with General Shamoke as the vanguard. Is that okay? If the attack is blocked, there is no need to bother. See if the Wei army has any special arrangements."

The terrain at the entrance of Yique Pass is relatively narrow, so ten thousand soldiers and horses are enough, and more will just be waving flags and shouting.

"Yes, I will definitely not fail the orders of the Grand Commander. If the Wei army's guards are lax, I will definitely break through the pass directly."

Ma Su was full of confidence. He was no longer the same person he was before. Having followed Feng Xi for such a long time, he had also learned a lot of new tactics and methods.

Now, even if he were to lead an army alone to capture a city, it would not be a difficult task, let alone attacking a pass?

(End of this chapter)