The Three Kingdoms Voyage

Chapter 168 Set Sail, Deadlock
Outside Fancheng, Guan Yu was sitting in his tent, reading.Sun Shao sent him the "Spring and Autumn Zuo Family Biography" written by Zhang Zhao. He liked it very much. First, Zhang Zhao annotated scriptures that he did not understand before. This book was copied by Sun Shao on high-quality Zuo Bo paper. The calligraphy is very beautiful, every word is meticulous and meticulous. It seems that you can imagine the respect Sun Shao copied when he copied it. It was also hand-made by Sun Shao. Not the same, convenient and strong.Guan Feng said in the letter to him that Sun Shao put a lot of effort into copying this book. It is not so much a book as Sun Shao's filial piety.Guan Yu liked this book very much, and it has become a habit to read a few pages every day, even in the army.

"Father." Guan Ping lifted the curtain door and walked in. Seeing that Guan Yu was reading, he looked a little hesitant.

"What's the matter?" Guan Yu didn't even lift his eyelids, he held his beard in one hand, and gently put the book on the case with the other.

"Sun Lang sent someone to send news that Yu Jin's [-] troops have arrived in Xinye, and they are only three to five days away from Fancheng." Guan Ping said softly, "What shall we do?"

"What should I do?" Guan Yu glanced at him, and the corner of his mouth twitched: "What do you say?"

Guan Ping didn't dare to say that the army had besieged Fancheng for more than a month, and there was no sign of conquering it. Now Yu Jin came with another 3 horses, and the total force has nearly doubled that of Guan Yu. Clashing inside and outside, I'm afraid I can't leave even if I want to.But from what Guan Yu said, it seemed that he didn't want to leave, but was planning to fight Yu Jin.

"Father, Pan Chengming sent someone to say that all the grain and grass in Jiangling and Jingling have been dispatched. Now he is rushing to Jiangnan, but it may be delayed for a while." He swallowed a mouthful and reminded carefully: "Mr. There is only one month's worth of grain left in the middle of the day."

Guan Yu's face darkened. This was the most troublesome thing for him. If the troops were not enough, he could still rely on strategy, but if the food and pay were not enough, the army would have no fighting spirit, and the morale of the army would be easily shaken. How can we fight this battle?He sighed, waved to Guan Ping, motioned him to sit down.

"Do you know why I don't withdraw my troops?"

Guan Ping opened his mouth, but didn't speak, just shook his head.

"My lord is in Yizhou, and I was forced to retreat by Cao Cao. Yizhou's difficulties are greater than mine. With Yizhou alone, my lord can no longer resist Cao Cao's offensive, so my lord let me attack Fancheng. We want to force Cao Cao to retreat from Hanzhong to reduce the pressure on Yizhou. If I retreat now, Yizhou will surely fall, so what is the use of me living alone?" Guan Yu said calmly, as if he was talking about someone else's business, not his My own business: "So I can't retreat, no matter how difficult it is, I can't retreat. So what if Yu Jin comes? Piffel, you can win in one battle."

Guan Ping frowned, "What about the food and grass?"

"Let Pan Chengming hurry up." Guan Yu raised his eyebrows, his murderous aura burst out: "Order Mi Fang and Shi Ren, tell them to be careful, otherwise I will take their heads."

Guan Ping sighed silently, no food means no food, what's the use of asking for the heads of Mi Fang and Shi Ren at this time, their heads can't be turned into food.He didn't dare to persuade any more, so he got up and said goodbye.

"Wait, is there any news from Yinping?" Guan Yu called to stop Guan Ping.

"The news just came from the merchant ship the day before yesterday that Fengxian has arrived at Qiantangkou, is resting and will join the battle soon. At that time, maybe our pressure will be lighter."

"Oh, it's useless." Guan Yu sighed, "I didn't expect Feng Xian to be a capable general. In just one year, he pacified the South China Sea and became a late general. Unfortunately, he is from the Sun family."

Guan Ping didn't say a word, he knew what Guan Yu's subtext was, but it was a pity that Sun Shao was only a son-in-law, not a son.He was used to being ignored by Guan Yu, and besides, it seemed that he really couldn't compete with Sun Shao, so he didn't react too violently.

"Send someone to send a letter to Yinping." Guan Yu mused, "See if she can get me some food to relieve my urgent need."

Guan Ping's eyes lit up, he nodded hastily, he turned and went out.Guan Yu picked up the book again, but didn't read it. He squinted his eyes and thought for a while, then twitched the corner of his mouth, and snorted disdainfully: "Yu Jin? Humph!"

……

The sword pavilion.

Fa Zheng's face is sallow, and he coughs from time to time. His health is not good, and the war has been tense recently. Cao Cao personally sits in Hanzhong to deploy the war, and the offensive is like a wave. There were a lot of worrying things, and Liu Bei was so anxious that his mouth was blistered, and he would get angry at every turn.In the entire battalion, he was the only one who could speak in front of Liu Bei, so whether it was good news or bad news, Liu Bei had to be transferred through him. One thing after another made him exhausted and sick.But this time was not the time to rest, so he had to drag his sick body to assist Liu Bei in handling military affairs, and his body seemed to be getting worse day by day.

"Xiaozhi, are you feeling better?" Liu Bei walked in and forced a smile.

"Thank you, my lord, for your concern. I'm feeling better." Fa Zhengyan lied insincerely, and forced himself to sit up from the couch.Liu Bei caught up and pressed his shoulders: "Xiao Zhi, you and I know each other well, so we don't need these vain rituals. Just lie down and let's talk."

Fazheng really couldn't get up, just moved a little, and his head was covered with sweat.He had no choice but to lie down again, gasped for a while, and then forced a smile: "Is the lord worried about the war?"

Liu Bei gave a wry smile, and slapped his thigh: "Xiao Zhi, how can I not worry? Cao Cao is going all out this time, and it seems that he will not stop until he wins Yizhou. Although the battle line is maintained in the Jiange area, our future I'm not strong enough, if we delay for a while, I'm afraid that Yizhou will collapse without a fight, and when the time comes, where will your monarchs and ministers go to settle down? Do you say, to the south or to the west?"

Fazheng didn't answer right away. He could hear deep frustration from Liu Bei's words. Liu Bei had no confidence in the future, and he was already thinking about the future.He had fought against Cao Cao all his life, and he was afraid of Cao Cao from the bottom of his heart. If Cao Cao didn't come, he would only face Xia Houyuan. Although the situation was still difficult, Liu Bei had no psychological disadvantage, but facing Cao Cao, Liu Bei had no confidence at all.

He played against Cao Cao and never won.In fact, not only is Liu Bei lacking in confidence, Fazheng is also lacking in confidence now, but facing Liu Bei who has even less confidence, he has to find enough reasons to cheer him up, otherwise Liu Bei may collapse directly.

"My lord, it's not only difficult for us, but also for Cao Cao." Fazheng coughed twice, trying to make himself look confident: "Cao Cao fought on the third front, and he went all out. He dispatched all his troops, and the rear was empty. My lord, have you forgotten that ever since Cao Cao became king, loyal and righteous people have continued to resist. Last year, Xu County had just had a big incident. Now that Cao Cao has mobilized all his troops, how can anyone know that no one will take advantage of the situation? Move? Once something happens in Xu County or Yecheng, he will regret it."

Liu Bei smiled, of course he hoped that something would happen to Cao Cao's rear, but such a thing is uncertain, who knows if it will happen?Since Cao Cao welcomed the emperor to Xu County, the rebellion against Cao Cao has never stopped. He also participated in the matter of clothing and belts, but what happened?Cao Cao was safe and sound, but took advantage of one opportunity after another to kill people. After 20 years, all those who opposed him died, but he lived more and more moistly. It is said that he didn't even have a headache.

"Sun Shao, you don't want to offer Zhuifeng San." Liu Bei sighed.

Fazheng is a bit ridiculous, you can't beat Cao Cao, can't you just point at Cao Cao's head attack and die?This is a bit of wishful thinking.But when Liu Bei mentioned Sun Shao, he remembered: "My lord, is there any news about Sun Shao?"

"Him?" Liu Bei was getting angry at Sun Shao, and he was not happy when he was mentioned: "It's still the news that Deng Zhi brought back a few months ago, saying that he killed some pirate king in the South China Sea. Deng Zhi Said, Sun Quan said that he had made great achievements in opening up the territory, so he wanted to make him a general. This Lizi has only fought for a few years, but he is actually a general? Sun Quan is really too young. what."

Fazheng keeps silent, what other contribution can be greater than opening up territories?He pondered for a moment, then slowly said: "So, Sun Shao should return to Jianye to join the war. He is a navy, and he is just right to deal with the Qingxu navy. Jiangdong has been suppressed by the Qingxu navy recently, and it is difficult to do anything. Once Sun Shao can If we join the war, then Jiangdong's offensive on the Eastern Front will become more powerful, which should be a good thing for us."

Liu Bei, who was complaining, thought about it and thought it made sense.Since Sun Shao can defeat all the pirate kings, he should be sure to deal with the Qingxu Navy, and Sun Shao's strength has grown so fast, Sun Quan should not let him develop freely in the South China Sea, and will definitely return to the controllable range .He suddenly remembered Guan Yu. He decided to marry Guan Feng to Sun Shao at the beginning because Sun Shao had no strength and would not join hands with Guan Yu to pose a threat. But now that Sun Shao has suddenly emerged and his strength has grown at a frighteningly fast rate, all his original ideas have been defeated. Now The eastern front relies on Sun Shao to defeat the Qingxu Navy, and the central line relies on Guan Yu to attack Cao Ren. If this battle is won, the two husbands and sons-in-law have contributed the most. Wouldn't that be a problem?
Liu Bei was startled suddenly. He looked at Fazheng. Fazheng's eyes flickered and his face was a little ugly. Obviously, he also thought of the same problem.

"General Guan is not strong enough. It may not be easy to defeat Cao Ren." Fazheng said suddenly.

Liu Bei nodded, now he was counting on Guan Yu for help, it was not time to guard against him, even if he knew the danger, he had no other better way.Besides, after all, Guan Yu is his confidant for many years, so he probably won't make it to that point, right?He looked at Fazheng, who was sweating profusely, and his heart ached.It's still Fazheng who is considerate, so I immediately thought of going with him.

"Xiaozhi, recuperate with peace of mind, and work hard to add meals." Liu Bei was a little excited for a moment, and said while holding Fazheng's hand.For so many years, apart from Guan Yu and Zhang Fei's two cronies, he is the most congenial with Fazheng.On the one hand, Fazheng was very resourceful and helped him solve many problems. If it wasn’t for Fazheng, he would not have been able to win Yizhou. On the other hand, Fazheng’s personality is very similar to his. He has no scruples, and he doesn't have the air of a turban, unlike those sour scholars who think that they are superior to others after reading a few books.

"Thank you, my lord." Fa Zheng smiled bitterly: "My lord, the morale of the army is very important at this time. You are the heart of an army, so you should go out and walk around frequently. Back then, Emperor Gao was shot by Xiang Yu and had to go on tour to boost morale. Now the lord also emulate it."

Liu Bei blushed and nodded repeatedly.He is in a bad mood these days, and it is rare for him to go out to patrol the camp. Most of the time he hides in the big tent, drinks and plays with women, and he really has the intention of escaping. "Don't worry, I'll go right away."

Fazheng nodded, and closed his eyes tiredly, his chest so thin that his ribs were clearly visible heaved violently.With a sore nose, Liu Bei wept secretly, took a towel to wipe off the cold sweat on Fazheng's forehead, covered Fazheng with a thin quilt, and then quietly walked out.Yamen General Wei Yan was waiting outside, and as soon as he saw him coming out, he quickly followed him.

"Master Wen, let's go to patrol the camp." Liu Bei said as he walked.

Wei Yan glanced at Liu Bei with some surprise, then lifted his spirits, and shouted, "Here."

Liu Bei cheered up and walked around the camp, inspecting the city defenses, talking to the soldiers, and cheering them up, appearing full of confidence.The originally sluggish morale was indeed improved a lot by him doing it like this, and everyone recovered a little bit of energy.Liu Bei was ashamed of himself, cheered up more and more, and his voice became louder. He said loudly to the soldiers that Guan Yu was attacking Fancheng, Cao Ren was about to hand over the head soon, and Sun Quan was fighting Xiahou Dun in Jiangdong. He also said that Sun Shao, who just defeated the pirates in the South China Sea, has rushed to Jianye with a powerful navy, and defeated the Qingxu navy. Jiangdong will soon turn to an active attack, and Cao Cao will soon support Living.Please wait patiently for a few days, when the time comes to drive Cao Cao out of Hanzhong, you will be rewarded for your merits.

The soldiers didn't know whether it was true or not. Seeing Liu Bei's swearing, they all believed it to be true, encouraged each other, and imagined a bright future.Liu Bei walked around and returned to the camp, and then he took off the smile on his face, sat down on the camp couch, picked up a glass of water, drank it upside down, and put the glass on the desk, Looking at Wei Yan, his eyes rolled: "Master Wen, do you believe we can win?"

Wei Yan thought for a moment, then nodded heavily: "I can win."

"Are you so confident?" Liu Bei's excitement had not completely dissipated, and he looked at Wei Yan with a slight smile.Wei Yan puffed up his chest and said loudly: "Cao Cao's strongest troops are cavalry, but when he arrived in Berkshire, his cavalry was useless. When he got Hanzhong from Zhang Lu, it was because of Zhang Lu's negligence that he took advantage of the loophole. The reason why he was able to reach Jiange this time is because he has a lot of troops, and on the other hand, we underestimated Cao Zhi and were successfully attacked by him."

Liu Bei's eyes flashed, and he nodded. He also thought about the gains and losses between himself and Cao Cao, but he always unnaturally felt that it was because his military skills were not as good as Cao Cao's, and he seldom analyzed like Wei Yan.Now it seems that what Wei Yan said is indeed reasonable.When Cao Cao attacked Hanzhong, it is said that it was a mistake.But this time he was passive, in the final analysis, because Zhang Fei was cut off by Cao Zhi.Who would have thought that Cao Zhi, a scholar, would be so risky that he would dare to sneak attack in the mountains with more than 300 people?Thinking of this incident, Liu Bei was in a cold sweat. If it wasn't for Cao Zhi's unfamiliarity with the terrain, it wouldn't be the problem of Zhang Feiliang being intercepted. Maybe even the Jiange was attacked by him.

This Zhuzi, like Cao Cao, is too insidious to use troops.Thinking of his son, Liu Bei felt a little unhappy again.Cao Cao is stronger than himself, why are his sons also stronger than his own?Thinking of Liu Chan's appearance, Liu Bei got a black line on his forehead.

"My lord..." Wei Yan reminded Liu Bei softly when he saw that Liu Bei was deep in thought.

"Ah, keep talking." Liu Bei hid a dry laugh, and raised his hand to signal Wei Yan to sit down.Wei Yangong cupped his hands, did not dare to sit down, looked into Liu Bei's eyes, and continued: "My lord, I thought that to break the deadlock in front of me, we must send out surprise troops."

"Surprise soldiers?" Liu Bei raised his eyelids and looked at Wei Yan: "Why are there surprise soldiers?"

Wei Yan strode up to the map behind Liu Bei: "Cao Zhi can attack us, why can't we attack them? Xia Houyuan went deep alone, and was separated from the rear and Cao Cao for hundreds of miles. Why don't we come out with a surprise soldier and go around behind Xiahouyuan , also cut off his food channel, the army will be in disorder if there is no food, and he will be defeated without fighting at that time, can't we turn defeat and win?"

Liu Bei's eyes lit up and he nodded repeatedly.He rubbed his bare chin and thought for a moment, then turned around and took Wei Yan to Fazheng's big tent, and told Fazheng Yi Wei Yan's suggestion, and Fazheng also thought it was feasible.After deliberation, he ordered Huang Zhong, the general seeking captives, to lead 2000 people from his headquarters out of the Jiange for a sneak attack. Wei Yan was the one who made the suggestion, and he also asked him to take [-] white-eared soldiers with him. The white-eared soldiers are the most elite personal guard battalion under Liu Bei. First led by Zhao Yun, then led by Chen Dao, and now Liu Bei personally commands, Wei Yan is the general of Yamen, and his men and horses belong to the white-eared soldiers.

Huang Zhong and Wei Yan received the order, prepared food and ordnance, and immediately left the camp. The news was in the mountains.

……

Langzhong, the camp of Cao Jun outside the city.

The new Pingnan Zhonglang general Cao Zhi and the prime minister Yang Xiu sat opposite each other, playing chess.Cao Zhi pressed on every step, with surprise soldiers coming out one after another, while Yang Xiu was at every step, both offensive and defensive.Cao Zhi couldn't find a way to defeat the enemy for a while, and stopped in mid-air with the chess pieces in his hand, thinking, suddenly felt a heart palpitation, his fingers trembled, and the chess pieces landed on the board with a "dang", which disturbed the chess game a bit.

"General?" Yang Xiu was just about to laugh, but found that Cao Zhi's face was not right, and asked with concern: "What's wrong with you? Did you get hurt again?"

Cao Zhi was injured in the attack on the Jiange a month ago, and he hasn't fully recovered yet. When he felt pain, his face turned pale and he sweated profusely.But this time it wasn't. He just felt a little dazed and had a strong sense of unease.

"I feel like something is going to happen." Cao Zhi took a deep breath and looked at Yang Xiu worriedly.Yang Xiu frowned, and thought for a moment: "Could it be that something happened to General Zhengxi?"

"Why General Zhengxi?" Cao Zhi was puzzled, "Why not us?"

(End of this chapter)