Great Wei Overlord

Chapter 866 Surprise Attack on Motian Ridge

Chapter 872 Surprise Attack on Motian Ridge
King Hui of Qin wanted to conquer the Kingdom of Shu, but was worried that there would be no way to enter Shu.King Qin Hui ordered someone to build a stone ox and send it to the king of Shu.It is claimed that this cow can make a lot of money every day.The money-greedy king of Shu ordered five warriors to open the way and welcome the stone ox with his heart.The road from Zitong, Deyang, Guanghan to Chengdu has been completed through Xiegu, crossing the Qinling Mountains, entering Guangyuan, crossing Xiaojian Mountain and Dajian Mountain.

In 316 B.C., the king of Shu welcomed the golden bull who could dung a thousand gold and did not appear, but ushered in the soldiers of the Qin army who were like wolves and tigers.Unsurprisingly, the Shu army was difficult to defeat the thousands of cavalry of the Qin army, so the Kingdom of Shu perished.Since the completion of the Jinniu Ancient Road, this road has been the only passage from Shuzhong to Guanzhong.This situation was broken until Deng Ai, a general of the Wei State during the Three Kingdoms period. He could not pass through Jianmen Pass for a long time, so he turned to Yinping, Jingwen County, Guopingwu, passed through Jingshan Valley, bypassed Jianmen Pass directly, and arrived at Jianmen Pass. Zhijiang pomelo city.

Although the Jinniu (Shiniu) Ancient Road is no longer the only way to enter Shu, it is a pity that the Yinping Ancient Road is too dangerous, and basically no one takes this road except for local farmers.The most dangerous place on the Yinping Ancient Road is Motianling. The north and west slopes of the ridge are relatively gentle, and the south is steep cliffs. Shu.

The reason why Deng Ai was able to successfully enter Shu was mainly due to surprise.After the Yinping Ancient Road was announced to the world, when the Li family of the Cheng Han Dynasty was in charge of Bashu, in order to avoid attacks from the north, they not only overhauled the Jianmen Pass, but also built a permanent military fort on Motianling Mountain.There are two soldiers stationed in Moyo all the year round.This is a more dangerous place than the sword gate opened by Wan Fumo, even if there is no one guarding it, if you want to pass through Motian Ridge, you need to spend your life to fill it.After Huan Wen became the king of Shu, he added four trebuchets, more than ten eight-ox crossbows, and rockets here.

Ordinarily, it should be very safe here.But neither Huan Wen nor Xi Chao thought that Ran Ming would also play a golden bull trick on Huan Wen.Ran Ming launched an arms sale to the Jin State, prompting Huan Wen to start an arms race with Sima Dan in order to protect himself.Huan Wen bought a large amount of military equipment from the State of Wei, and more importantly, war horses or horses.The famous war horses in ancient China were actually very limited. Don’t look at the Youzhou iron cavalry and Bingzhou iron cavalry. In fact, whether it is Youzhou or Bingzhou, the horses that are mainly produced there belong to the Mongolian horse breed, also called Xiongnu horses and Xianbei horses. horse.This kind of horse is not big, and its charging speed is not fast, but its vitality is extremely strong.Only the Mongols brought the Mongolian war horse to the extreme.In this era, the recognized best war horse is still based on the Hequ horse.

Hequ horse is also an excellent horse breed in ancient China. It is believed that it was developed by Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty using Dawan horse and Hequ local native horse to improve the horse breed after acquiring the land of Hexi in order to attack the Xiongnu in the north.This kind of Hequ horse has good endurance, quick recovery from fatigue, and good charging speed. It is the best choice for war horses in the eyes of everyone.In fact, the West Pole horse is much more expensive and not the best choice for general equipment.

If the previous marching route was followed, these horses could only transfer from Hexi to Guanzhong first, and then enter Shu from Guanzhong via the Jinniu Ancient Road.Ran Ming pointed out that due to the extremely long distance, the war horses eat ten catties of forage and three catties of soybeans every day, which is not a small amount of supplies.So the shipping cost is very high.Huan Wen had two options, either to deliver the goods directly in Hexi, and the horses would be brought back by themselves.Another way is to increase the price.

No matter which option was chosen, it was not acceptable to Huan Wen.Although it saves a lot of money by transporting it by myself, it needs a lot of fodder for the horses to consume along the way.If the price was increased, Ran Ming would be too dark, and directly raised the price by nearly 560%, which made Huan Wen's finances unbearable.Seeing that Huan Wen's side disagreed with the two methods, Ran Ming proposed a third method.That is to pass through Yinping and enter Shu through Jinggu Valley, so that the transportation cost can be saved by a little more than one-third.Huan Wen was actually crazy about money, so he tried it out as soon as he heard the idea.The first batch of more than 100 war horses entered Shu through the Yinping Ancient Road. As a result, more than 100 horses and more than [-] war horses fell off the cliff just at Motianling.In fact, without Ran Ming's urging, Huan Wen sent people to complete part of the road.

With the smooth opening of the Yinping ancient road, the basic industrial system established by Ran Ming in the Qin Dynasty began to dump industrial commodities, cheap iron farm tools, and the finished products were even cheaper than the pig iron mined by Huan Wen himself. Huan Wen even bought cheap farm tools directly, and then Return to the furnace and recast to create a weapon.In addition to farming tools, there are also bowstrings for making bows and arrows.In fact, raw cowhide is not only the preferred material for making leather armor, but also the material for making bowstrings.As for the deer tendons mentioned in some novels, that's very funny. The bow strings of bows and arrows are consumables, and the movement is measured in tens of thousands. How can there be so many deer to hunt.

In fact, the strings of military bows and crossbows are all made of raw cowhide cut into three millimeter strips, mixed with other bark fibers, and kneaded.The strings produced in this way are not only durable, but also economical.Therefore, Huan Wen also bought a large amount of cowhide and other materials.

For the main military supplies, Central Shu still needs a large amount of appliances produced by Wei State, such as furniture, sofas, tables and chairs, and various entertainment facilities, and four-wheel extended carriages with shock-absorbing versions.A large amount of goods poured into Shuzhong from the Yinping Ancient Road, and the roads that were originally repaired simply were obviously not enough.In order to save transportation costs and reduce road consumption, merchants in central Sichuan also began to spontaneously repair the Yinping Ancient Road, especially the dangerous sections, and did not hesitate to use reinforced concrete to reinforce them.

At this time, even the narrowest section of the Yinping Ancient Road can at least drive a four-wheeled carriage by bicycle, but Huan Wen didn't realize that he, the King of Shu, made the same mistake as the King of Shu in the Spring and Autumn and Warring States Periods. He opened a road to death.

At this time, General Zhenxi of the Wei State was no longer in his headquarters, and Xie Ai liked to take the lead in fighting.As a general of literati background, such a general is even more admired by the soldiers.

At this time, Xie Ai led more than 200 soldiers, disguised as a caravan.Carrying about [-] horses and cattle, they entered Shu from the Yinping Ancient Road.Xie Ai was still wearing a white Confucian gown, and was sitting in a luxurious four-wheeled carriage.Accompanied by Hu Niang, he quietly approached the Motianling Yunjian outpost.

Along the way, they encountered four or five checkpoints of the Shu army, but none of them discovered Xie Ai's identity.Since Xie Ai carried a large number of horses and cattle, his speed was not fast.On average, they only advance fifty or sixty miles a day.In fact, Xie Ai has the same personality as Xie An, and he likes to drink and have fun.

Ever since Xie Ai handed over "Blue Eyes" and "Dead Man", the leader, Tiger Lady, has become Xie Ai's concubine.Along the way, Xie Ai ate whatever he wanted and drank whatever he wanted.It began to drizzle in the evening, and Xie Ai gave the order to stop.Spring rain is as expensive as oil, but once the clothes are wet, it is easy to catch a cold.Traveling in the rain like this is also very exhausting.Motian Ridge is the top priority of this raid, God knows what kind of accident will happen, maybe there will be a tragic battle.Xie Ai naturally wanted to preserve the strength of the soldiers in his army.

The next day, Xie Ai woke up.It was found that the sky had already opened up, and the air was filled with the fragrance of soil.After traveling for another 20 miles, at noon, Xie Ai finally saw the legendary cloud outpost.

The altitude of Motianling is more than 730 meters. Originally, the people of Shu built a temple of Zhuge Wuhou here, but it has been abandoned for a long time due to disrepair.Turning around nine times and crossing the Motianling Bridge, you will arrive at Nantianmen, surrounded by mountains, deep valleys, gurgling water, chirping birds and cicadas, which makes you feel like you are in a fairyland.There is a stone wall under the Nantian Gate, like a mirror. On this stone wall, Deng Ai once wrote the four characters "Deng Ai passed here". As long as the wall is washed with water, the handwriting will appear, and the water will dry the words.

This Yunjian outpost was built on the raised platform of Nantianmen. The area of ​​this naturally formed platform is actually not big, but it is more than two hundred steps square. This is a small building with a small height. The endless river is filled with mist all the year round, like walking in the clouds, so it is also called the cloud outpost.This two-story sentry tower with a length of only over [-] steps and a width of about [-] steps is equipped with four trebuchets and a dozen crossbows guarding the Motianling Suspension Bridge. With a suspension bridge of only twenty feet, the enemies on the opposite side can only look at it in awe.

Xie Ai's carriage walked slowly to the suspension bridge. Before reaching the other side, five soldiers came over.

At this time, Hu Niang became Xie Ai's concubine, so the ugly face was removed from her face.The tiger lady poked her head out of the carriage, and said in a soft voice: "My young master is feeling cold, can you trouble Master Jun to invite a doctor?"

Saying that, Tiger Niang unobtrusively put a piece of golden pancake into the hands of the corporal leader.When the corporal of the Shu army saw the gold, there was undisguised greed in his eyes.It's just that he suddenly saw Qingcheng Fan on the carriage.The secret note of three words, as long as you put away the desire in your heart.

The Fan family in Qingcheng is not a small family. The Fan family in Qingcheng has mastered the trilogy for generations, with more than a thousand (households) trilogy.In particular, Fan Changsheng is the leader of the Tao of Heavenly Master.Li Te took a fancy to Fan Changsheng's influence and strength, so he worshiped Fan Changsheng as prime minister.And he was named the Grand Master of Heaven and Earth at Four Seasons and Eight Festivals.After Fan Changsheng's death, his son Fan Nu became Prime Minister of Cheng Han again.In [-] A.D., Huan Wen destroyed Shu, and Cheng Han generals Deng Ding, Kui Wen and others promoted Fan Ben as emperor. According to historical records, Fan Ben "confuses the people with monsters", so many people in Shu belonged to him.In [-], Zhou Fu, the governor of Yizhou in the Eastern Jin Dynasty, and Zhu Tao, the general of Longxiang, attacked Fan Ben. Fan Ben was killed, and Yizhou was pacified.

Although Fan Nu, who had been the puppet emperor for two years, died, his family was no ordinary Caotou king. He was the leader of Taoism for generations and had countless followers.

At this time, the Fan Clan of Qingcheng was a transcendent force in Sichuan. No matter whether nobles or gentry, if they provoked them, they would have to wait to bear the wrathful revenge of countless Taoists.

Even for such an important matter as Huan Wen buying a war horse from Ran Ming, Fan Shi had to intervene. In fact, it is not a gesture of goodwill to Fan Shi.Huan Wen is a person who wants to establish himself as an emperor, so he pays more attention to the hearts of the people, but the most powerful thing about the Fan family is not their more than 1000 households, but their grasp of public opinion and the hearts of the people.

This kind of matter is not something that a small corporal leader can decide, so he hurriedly asked the checkpoint guard for instructions.The guard said: "Fan is the one the king wants to win over. We people can't offend them. Once we offend them, there will be no good end!"

"That"

"Arrange a yard for them in the barracks at the back, hurry up and invite some doctors, otherwise if something happens to Mr. Fan's family, we will wait to die!"

Since ancient times, China has been a society ruled by men.No matter when, no matter what kind of policy, it is actually aimed at the kind of people who have no background.Outsiders can enter this checkpoint, even if they belong to the same branch of the Shu army, without Huan Wen's warrant, they have to go through the checkpoint.However, Xie Ai, who was under the name of Fan, easily got in.

Fortunately, the garrison was still somewhat clear, only five people were put in the barracks, Xie Ai, Hu Niang, the coachman, and two followers.The other two hundred or so people did not neglect, but let them go to the post station to resettle.This so-called post station is very cheating. It is located in a small valley behind the Yunjian post. The area is not small, but there is only one entrance and exit. Once you enter, you don't want to come out again.

However, merchants are very satisfied if they can have a place to sleep in this kind of place, how can they be picky.On the way for these horses and cows to the post station in the valley, something happened, and the horses were shocked.Several war horses rolled up and down and neighed, which caused restlessness among the horses.Even a few war horses lost control and rushed towards the official road behind the post station in the middle of the valley.

"Hey, brothers in front, help stop the horses. If these horses run away, Mr. Fan will blame us, and we can't afford it!"

The garrison knew that this batch of horses was the last batch of horses that Shu bought from Wei, and I am afraid that there will be no more horses in the future.One less horse, one less cavalry in the Shu army.Don't say that Mr. Fan will blame him, I'm afraid Huan Wen will also blame him.The garrison had to order the soldiers to go up and help control the horses.

It's just a pity that these defenders are not horse masters, and it's okay if they don't help. When the war horses meet strangers, they all show vigilant eyes and feel very disturbed.Many war horses were flying, as if they were trying to escape the bondage.

"Ah!" There was a scream, and a defender who was about to catch the horse was kicked away by the horse's hoof.

The black war horse quickly jumped over the defender's horse rejection post and fell into the nearby forest.Now the horses are even more unbearable.Perhaps because of the guiding role of this free horse, countless horses rushed towards the horse rejection post with all their might.

Encountering a herd of crazy horses, even a nation that is born on horseback, is also a headache.Not to mention these Shu sergeants who can't even ride a horse.

The defenders looked at those crazy horses, and some wanted to cry.He wanted to order to shoot arrows, but in Shuzhong, horses were worth more than human lives.His life was not enough to pay for the loss of a horse.

At this moment, Xie Ai, who was pale, stood up suddenly and ordered: "Do it!"

Originally, there was no need for Xie Ai, the commander-in-chief of the first army, to implement the sneak attack tactics like this time.It's just that the son of the Fan family in Qingcheng, Fan's humeral head is very hard, and he is not willing to cooperate at all.However, Xie Ai and Fan Huo are somewhat similar in age, appearance, and temperament. With the addition of makeup skills, unless they are very familiar with them, they will not be able to find that Fan Ji is fake.

Xie Ai was not sick at all, but had a glass ball clamped under his arm.Because the glass ball oppresses the blood vessels, causing pulse disorder, and with makeup on, unless it is a doctor like Ge Hong with superb medical skills, it is impossible to find the problem.

To talk about this tactical sneak attack, Xie Ai also took great pains.When Xie Ai was appointed by Ran Min as the general of Wei Guozhen West, Xie Ai's defense areas were Shuozhou, Yongzhou, Qinzhou, and Liangzhou, and he was responsible for stabilizing Hexi and preventing possible threats from central Shu.After Xie Ai took office, he found that Hexi was peaceful, and all unstable factors were resolved by Ran Ming.Xie Ai's remaining task is to guard against Bashu, or prepare to attack Bashu.

Xie Ai studied Bashu carefully. He was attracted by the ancient Yinping road that Deng Ai, the great general of the Wei State, walked through in history. Although in this era, due to the appearance of Ran Ming, the road conditions of the ancient Yinping road are much better than in history.But even if it has improved, it is still relatively limited.The Yinping Ancient Road is too steep, and there are many places where you can set up an ambush along the way.Just like the sentry post of Motianling, it can hold back the attack of tens of thousands of opponents.

So Xie Ai began to think about adopting a sneak attack tactic to take this strategically important place.It's just a pity that the position of the Motianling sentry post is too important, although there are only two garrison soldiers.But they often reserve a year's worth of food and weapons.In particular, these two villages are equipped with more than 160 pedal crossbows. Although the horse crossbow produced by Wei State is more labor-saving, convenient and quicker than the pedal crossbow when launching, the tension of the pedal crossbow is still greater than that of the horse crossbow. The range is also longer.If the pedal crossbow shoots light arrows, it can reach an astonishing 220 steps, and even with armor-piercing heavy arrows, it can reach about 150 steps.Of course, at this distance, the horse crossbow can't take advantage.

Once the defenders of Motian Ridge realize that the situation is unstoppable, they can destroy the suspension bridge. The cliff more than [-] feet wide is a chasm that is difficult to leap over.

(End of this chapter)