The last three kingdoms

Chapter 438 Meridian Road

"Wenxuan, Zhong Hui has 10,000+ troops, and you only take 5000 to attack Hanzhong, is that okay?" Liu Chen said worriedly.

You know, when Zhong Hui entered Shu, he had 12 troops under his command. Later, he annexed Zhugexu's 3 troops, and the total force expanded to 15 horses. Even if he lost part of his troops during the battle in Shu, But there are always 3 to 5000 people, and now Liu Yin is only planning to enter Hanzhong with [-] people, which is too different from Zhong Hui's force, and even only a fraction of others. This battle may not be easy to fight.

But Liu Yin smiled freely and said: "Don't worry, fifth brother. Although Zhong Hui has many soldiers, he is still under restraint, but our army is advancing lightly and unexpectedly. In this battle of Hanzhong, my younger brother is Determined to win."

This time when he returned to Hanzhong, Liu Yin also became familiar with it after deep thinking. First of all, Hanzhong is in the south of Guanzhong. If the Hanzhong problem is not resolved, not only will Liu Yin not be able to advance eastward and realize his grand strategic concept, but it is also very easy to be attacked on both sides.Therefore, Liu Yin must take advantage of the fact that the main force of the Wei army in Guanzhong has not assembled to counterattack, and try his best to solve the Hanzhong problem and his worries.Only in this way can Liu Yin concentrate on responding to the counterattack of the main force of the Kwantung Wei Army.

If possible, of course Liu Yin would like to mobilize more troops to return to Hanzhong, but Guanzhong's defense cannot be ignored. The three major passes have already emptied Liu Yin's main force, and Chang'an has to keep troops to defend. In this way, Liu Yin The troops in Yin's hands are naturally stretched, and the troops that can be mobilized are naturally limited.

But Liu Yin doesn't have to worry too much about the issue of military strength. Although Zhong Hui has many soldiers, he has a lot of ties. He wants to get out of Shu easily, but he still has to ask Lu Kang and Jiang Wei if they agree .

Moreover, there are still three cities in the Hanzhong area standing firm, and there are about seven or eight thousand people who can give Liu Yin some support. Now that part of the Wei army in Hanzhong has been wiped out, the deputy general Xun Kai was also captured and surrendered in the battle of Xiegu. It is already very good to maintain a force of about [-]. If we simply look at the strength of Hanzhong, Liu Yin still has a certain force advantage when he enters Hanzhong.

The only variable now is that it is not clear how many soldiers and horses Zhonghui will send back to assist Hanzhong. Liu Yin does not know whether he will send all the troops of the Wei army or send a part of the army.

However, Liu Yin firmly believed that the battle in Central Shu was stalemate, and it would not be so easy for Zhong Hui to retreat completely.Therefore, the opportunity to enter Hanzhong this time is still greater than the challenge. If you grasp it well, the chance of success is also great.

Liu Chen saw that Liu Yin was very determined, so he couldn't persuade him anymore. The two sides said they cherished each other and said goodbye.

Liu Yin led his army to leave Chang'an and head towards Hanzhong.

From Guanzhong to Hanzhong, there are four roads to choose from, Tangluo Road in the middle, Baoxie Road and Chencang Road in the west, and Ziwu Road in the east.The most dangerous and the closest is the Tangluo Road, but according to the results of scouting reports, the Tangluo Road flooded this spring, causing landslides, causing the Tangluo plank road to be washed away for [-] to [-] miles, and it will take a long time to repair it. time, so it is almost impossible to march from the Tangluo Road.

The remaining choices seem to be very simple. The road with the best road conditions is Baoxie Road. Entering from Xieyuguan in the south of Wuzhangyuan, you can go straight to Nanzheng.

But now the Shu army is still in Chang'an. If it goes west to Wuzhangyuan, it will take at least two or three days. The news has not had time to adjust and deploy in the future, and win Hanzhong in one fell swoop.And these two or three days are likely to be fatal.

Baoxie Road is not advisable, and Chen Cang Road, which is further to the west, is not in the scope of Liu Yin's consideration. Liu Yin casts his eyes on Ziwu Road south of Chang'an.

Ziwu Road became famous all over the world, probably related to the Ziwu Valley Conspiracy proposed by Wei Yan, a general of Shu, but not implemented because of his disagreement with Zhuge Liang.

During Zhuge Liang's first Northern Expedition, Wei Yan proposed a plan to launch a surprise army out of Meridian. This plan was called the most arrogant and daring military strategy in later generations. .It is precisely because this plan was not implemented in the end that it left many suspense and flaws for future generations, and it has always been talked about by future generations.

Of course, there are many factors that determine the victory or defeat of a war. No one can determine the probability of success of such an extremely risky operation as Ziwu Valley. It may succeed or it may fail. After all, a real war is not a war game on a sand table. In history, Deng Ai succeeded in smuggling into Yinping, but Liu Yin's crossing successfully prevented Deng Ai. Therefore, any adventurous military operation will change the final result due to any accidental factors.

The debate about the Meridian Valley Conspiracy has not stopped for thousands of years, but Liu Yin is not concerned about this at the moment. Choosing the most suitable and fastest route to enter Hanzhong is what he urgently needs to do.

"Tell Xun Kai to come in." Liu Yin stared at the military map laid out on the table, concentrating on it, and ordered Xun Kai to be passed on.

After Xun Kai returned to surrender, Liu Yin temporarily entrusted him with the post of joining the army and stayed in the Chinese army to wait for orders.As the deputy general of the Hanzhong side of the Wei army, Xun Kai naturally knew the military situation in Hanzhong well. Liu Yin passed him on to learn about the situation in Hanzhong.

"The final general will see the general." After entering the account, Xun Kai bowed and saluted with a very respectful attitude.

Liu Yin raised his head, smiled, waved his hand casually, and said, "Ziju, our army wants to march into Hanzhong. In your opinion, where should we march?"

Xun Kai pondered for a while, and said: "The general thinks that it is most appropriate to march from Ziwu Road."

"How do you see it?" Liu Yin asked.

Xun Kaigong said: "The Wei army in Hanzhong mainly surrounded the three cities of Hancheng, Lecheng, and Huangjin, but they neglected to defend the valley roads. According to common sense, the general should take the slope. This road is relatively flat and easy. But from Chang'an to Xieyuguan, it takes at least two or three days' journey, plus the time of walking the Baoxie Road, it will take at least twelve or three days to reach Hanzhong. In this way, the general will definitely lose the intention of surprise , let the Wei army be prepared. Although the Ziwu Road is dangerous, it is the shortest way for Chang'an to enter Hanzhong. If the general wants to catch him by surprise and catch Wei Jun by surprise, the general thinks that the Ziwu Road is the only way."

Liu Yin chuckled and said, "What Ziju said fits my heart. It's not about marching into Hanzhong. Ziwu Road is indeed the first choice."

(End of this chapter)