Chapter 1220 Three Ways to Advance
Feng Yong, who was far away in Tongguan, naturally did not feel Lu Xun's gaze.
It is even less possible to hear Lu Xun’s inner call.
At this time, he was sitting on the Taishi chair, with his hands on the armrests on both sides of the chair.
There were people and chairs leaning against the wall, hiding in the shadows, silent.
From his position, he could have a panoramic view of the combat staff room just across the door.
The people in the war staff room could vaguely see the outline of the Central Protector when they raised their heads, but no one could see the expression on his face clearly.
The big room where the staff team was busy all night was filled with big candles that could only be used by the royal family and top wealthy families in Wei State.
It illuminated the entire combat staff room as brightly as day.
After receiving the military order from the Central Protectorate, the headquarters of the staff group of the Central Protectorate did not delay for a moment. They set out from Chang'an and arrived at Tongguan only one day later than Feng Duhu.
The arrival of the staff finally brought the latest situation of the entire battle that Feng Duhu needed most—of course it could not be the frontline battle report of that day, but it was the latest news that the rear could grasp.
After arriving, they did not have any rest time and must immediately formulate a battle plan based on the current battle situation.
Various partially enlarged maps, hastily made sand tables, and messy documents...
Some of the combat staff members were red-faced after arguing, some used notebooks to write and draw against maps from time to time, and some felt it was too hot and simply went shirtless, wearing only a vest...
Jiang Wei and Liu Yin are also participating. They are conducting war chess deductions on the sand table.
I don’t know whether it was because it was too hot or too nervous, but their foreheads were already covered with sweat.
There are people around them who are making suggestions, checking for gaps, and pointing out possible omissions.
Making a battle plan is not just about randomly drawing on the map and waving your hand to tell the army how to move.
Rather, it should be based on the actual situation of both the enemy and ourselves, such as troop strength, food and grass, etc.
Based on the geographical situation we have, we need to consider where the possible battle locations are, what we will encounter on the march, how to deal with it, and how to deal with it...
The world is unpredictable, and wars are even more unpredictable. No matter how good the plan is, it is impossible to take all accidents into account.
But as the saying goes, "If you win without fighting, you have to count it as more; if you don't fight with temples and you don't win, you have to count as little. If you have more, you will win, but if you have less, you won't win, and what's more, nothing will count!"
The more you think about it, the more confident you will be.
The battle situation ahead is not very optimistic - whether it is based on the current information or the deduced prognosis.
The staff group must not only deduce the most likely war situation in the shortest possible time.
At the same time, corresponding plans must be formulated based on these battle conditions.
Time is tight and tasks are heavy.
Many people’s eyes were already covered with bloodshot eyes. They had not slept a wink all day and night.
But almost everyone drank strong tea, no one wanted to sleep at this time, and everyone was very excited.
the reason is simple.
What started as an inconsequential battle at Gaudu has now evolved into a major war.
Judging from the deduced battle situation, the decisive battle between the Han Dynasty and the Wei bandit army in Luoyang and Hanoi is likely to have arrived in advance.
Unknowingly, the sky outside the window was already white.
Gongsun Zheng took a document and hurriedly walked through the door and walked from the combat staff room to Feng Duhu:
“Zhongduhu?”
Feng Duhu's lowered head subconsciously raised his head when he heard the sound.
At the same time, he closed his eyes hard and shook his head, as if he wanted to shake off the fatigue:
"how?"
“Zhongduhu, this is the plan everyone has put together.”
Gongsun Zheng was from Longxi.
From the time when the Prime Minister captured Longyou during his first Northern Expedition and Feng Duhu formally established the staff group, Gongsun Zheng has been the chief of staff.
Over the years, the staff members of the staff group have changed one after another.
Most of them enter the military and serve as the backbone of military officers.
But Gongsun Zheng never moved his nest.
When he was in Longyou, he was the chief of staff of the Huqiang Xiaowei Mansion. When he came to Liangzhou, he was the chief of staff of the Liangzhou Governor's Mansion. As of now, he is the chief of staff of the Zhongdu Protectorate.
Although they are both chiefs of staff, their qualities are definitely different.
Normally, Duhu Feng holds the general direction, while General Guan is responsible for the main affairs of the army.
But when it comes to specific matters in the army, such as the allocation of grain and grass, recording rewards and punishments, improving military discipline, camp arrangements, etc., Gongsun Zheng still has to be asked to arrange manpower.
It can be said that if General Guan is Feng Duhu’s military commander, then Zhang Xiaosi is the military commander who remains in the palace.
But General Guan had to lead the army on expeditions from time to time, so Gongsun Zheng was Chang Shi's substitute when General Guan was away.
There are a lot of documents in my hands, a very thick one.
Feng Duhu flipped through it casually. The words on it were rather sloppy. He was probably in a hurry and didn't have time to copy them again.
After looking at it for a few times, Feng Duhu felt that his eyes were getting even drier.
“That’s right, let the cook cook some delicious food, let everyone eat and replenish themselves, and then go and have a good sleep.”
Feng Duhu closed the plan in his hand and gave an order.
As the coach, he also needs to go through all the plans they have made, and at least be mentally prepared for the most likely situation.
Time is very tight, and Feng Duhu is also in a hurry.
But no matter how anxious he is, it is still difficult for a clever woman to make a meal without rice, because the troops in hand are insufficient.
The troops transferred back from Caoqiao Pass are still on the way.
Another important reason is that Chang'an is seizing the time to transport a batch of grain and grass to Tongguan.
But I think it shouldn’t take too long, only five or six days at most.
I have to thank Emperor Xiaowu for this.
When Emperor Xiaowu conquered the Xiongnu, the Weishui River had insufficient transportation capacity, so he dug an artificial canal next to the Weishui River.
This Guanzhong Canal starts from Kunming Pool in Chang'an in the west, runs parallel to the Wei River for more than 300 miles, and finally merges into the Wei River in the east.
(This canal was used until the late Tang Dynasty. It has disappeared now, but it has been discovered by archeology. Those who are interested can watch the third episode of "Chanba Long Song")
Whether it's the Wei River or the Guanzhong Cao Canal, it can't sail the big ships or even giant ships in the big rivers.
But the advantage is that the water flow is smoother than that of big rivers.
Ships that transport grain and troops are not going to fight. The ships are small and the carrying capacity is not enough, so they must be made up of numbers.
No matter what, it is much better than simple land transportation.
So in the past few days, you must be ready to go out at any time.
"Bojo, please stay here. I have something to say."
It is daybreak, and the shadows of the candles appear a little faint.
Since there was no one blocking the candlelight, Zhong Duhu, who had been hiding in the shadows, could finally see clearly.
Zhong Duhu, who rarely spoke all night, also looked tired.
When everyone had retreated, Jiang and Liu stepped forward and saluted, "Zhongdu protector?"
"The food and grass shipped from Chang'an will probably be almost enough in two days. You two, have a good rest today, assemble the army tomorrow, and set off the day after tomorrow."
Jiang Wan has always been a trustworthy teammate in raising food and fodder for the frontline army in the rear.
Rather than being a pig teammate like Wei Yan.
"Set off?"
Liu Yin was startled.
“Where to go?”
Jiang Wei’s eyes lit up.
Feng Duhu rubbed his forehead and said in a tired and weak tone: "Go to Hangu Pass."
“Hangu Pass!?”
"right."
Feng Duhu nodded.
I was really too lazy to get up and point at the map. Anyway, my eyes had been staring at the map for the past few days, so the two of them should have roughly memorized it.
The Hangu Pass mentioned by Feng Duhu naturally refers to the Hangu Pass of the Qin Dynasty, not the Hangu Pass of the Han Dynasty.
Han Hangu Pass was built by Emperor Xiaowu who wanted to expand the territory in Guanzhong, so he moved Hangu Pass eastward to the gate of Luoyang.
So although Hanhangu Pass can be regarded as a pass, it is more of an administrative geography concept.
Of course, this is for the past.
The former Qinhan Valley Pass was surrounded by Gaoyuan to the west, Juejian to the east, Qinling Mountains to the south, and the Yellow River to the north.
There are dense forests on the high plateau, which are difficult for monkeys to climb.
The big river in the north is turbulent and impassable to ships.
Only a rugged and dangerous road in the middle is feasible.
In front of the pass hidden in the valley, there is a deep stream that serves as a natural moat.
It can be said that one man can guard the barrier and ten thousand men cannot open it.
It was only by the middle and late period of the Later Han Dynasty that the dense forests on the plateau had been cut down almost, and their role in blocking the army was greatly reduced.
The most terrible thing is that in the middle and late Later Han Dynasty, the Little Ice Age began, and the climate gradually became abnormal.
To the north of Hangu Pass, the water level of the large river, which was originally a natural barrier, was cut downward, exposing a large area of the river bed.
The army can bypass the pass directly from the flat river bed.
So Hangu Pass has lost its role.
Today’s Tongguan is basically a shrunken version of Qinhangu Pass before the river flowed down.
The reason why it is a shortened version is because the north of Tongguan is the same as Qinhangu Pass, although there is a big river as a natural barrier.
But the south is not an unscalable cliff, but a continuous strip of high plateau.
In this way, if you want to defend Tongguan, you need to deploy a lot of troops on the high plateau to prevent the enemy from sneaking up from different positions.
It is slightly inferior to Hangu Pass in the Qin Dynasty.
However, although Qinhangu Pass has lost its role as a dangerous pass, it can still be used as a forward location for garrisoning troops.
Wei State, or Sima Yi, used it as a line of defense to prevent the Han from marching from Guanzhong to Guandong.
On weekdays, the Wei army was stationed in Hangu Pass. When the Han army came, they would set up camp on the exposed riverbed in advance to block the Han army from advancing.
The exposed riverbed is wide enough for caravan travelers.
But as a battlefield, it is a bit small.
In a frontal attack, all troops cannot be deployed.
We don’t expect to be able to stop the Han army from advancing eastward, but as long as we can delay it for a while and let Luoyang prepare, it will be considered a success.
As the two men guarding Tongguan and facing Hangu Pass from a distance, Jiang and Liu naturally knew the situation of Hangu Pass.
Hearing Feng Duhu's instructions, the two of them couldn't help but be a little surprised.
Jiang Wei couldn't help but said:
"Zhongduhu, the Wei thieves are at Hangu Pass. I'm afraid they have been prepared for it. With the strength of the two of us, even if we capture Hangu Pass, I'm afraid we won't be able to go straight to Luoyang."
Hearing this, Feng Duhu couldn't help showing a somewhat surprised look on his face. He looked at Jiang Wei:
How dare you think about going straight to Luoyang!
Who is Sima Yi?
How could it be possible to leave such a big hole?
Not to mention the section from Qinhan Valley Pass to Hanhan Valley Pass, there are still city passes such as Shaanxi County, Lianchi, and Xin'an, all of which can garrison troops.
Sima Yi is an old tortoise, which can be seen from the hedgehog-like defense he arranged in the pass.
If it weren't for the Liangzhou cavalry led by Feng Duhu, they were a cavalry that transcended the times. They could have detoured from Liangzhou to merge with the state and penetrate directly into Sima Yi's back.
How long the Battle of Guanzhong will last and how many soldiers will be sacrificed are still unknown.
The road from Chang'an out of Tongguan to Luoyang is mostly rugged and dangerous. How could Sima Yi let the Han drive straight through?
Withthe current strength ofthe Han Dynasty—let's not say how long it would take to get through it all the way. I'm afraid it would take the entire country to get through the ancient Weihan Road.
It does not mean that the large river waterway between Tongguan and Luoyang cannot be used.
Emperor Xiaowu of the former Han Dynasty dug the Guanzhong Cao Canal in order to conquer the Xiongnu. A considerable part of the grain transported by the canal was transported from Guandong.
It is just extremely inefficient and consumes a lot of people and material resources.
Especially the section from Hongnong to Shaanxi County (that is, Lingbao to Sanmenxia) is the most dangerous.
It is necessary to first dig plank roads on the cliffs on both sides of the river, and then let trackers pull the boats along the plank roads with difficulty.
Otherwise, the ship will not be able to sail on the river at all. It will either be swallowed by the turbulent river water or hit the dark rocks in the river and capsize.
Even so, the best situation for the ships transporting grain is still only three or four out of ten, and more than half of them are fed by fish and shrimps in the river.
Such a mode of transportation cannot be sustained for a long time even when the country is strong.
How else could the later period of Emperor Xiaowu have led to the tragic situation of "empty cities and warehouses, and many people in exile" and "the world is wasted, and people cannibalize each other".
In the sparsely populated Three Kingdoms era, it was impossible to do such a thing unless it was absolutely necessary.
This is also the reason why Cao Rui wanted to transport the bronze figures and dew-bearing plates from Chang'an to Luoyang, but was unable to use the river for transportation.
Because at that time, the Wei State was already struggling to support itself in the face of strong pressure from Ji Han. How could there be any spare people?
Even if there is civilian power, there is more than half a chance that the boat will capsize in a big river. Only crazy people will use big rivers for transportation.
Although the logistical pressure of Ji Han's army may be easier than that of Wei and Wu at the same time.
But if we want to ensure smooth logistics, it is definitely impossible to rely solely on the rugged and dangerous path of the Weihan Ancient Road.
After all, we have to recruit civilians to rebuild plank roads and work as trackers to pull boats.
If we really do that, we can unify the world.
out out out out out out-
Sima Yi most likely saw this, so he tried his best to capture Shangdang and then control Bingzhou.
He just wanted to prevent Ji Han from imitating the story of Qin and destroying the Six Kingdoms.
During the Warring States Period, the Qin State repeatedly sent troops to Guandong from Hangu Pass, but failed to achieve full success.
By the time of the Qin Dynasty, the Qin army did not follow the ancient Weihan Road, but either went south to annex Han from Bingzhou, or went east to destroy Zhao, and then unified the world.
So Sima Yi wants to force the big man to take the most difficult path!
But Feng Duhu shook his head:
"Bo Yue is determined to attack Luoyang. This is very good. But this time, I don't force you to go straight to Luoyang or anything like that. Just attack Hangu Pass."
“Of course, even if we can’t win…”
Feng Duhu pondered for a while, but in the end he did not say the second half of the sentence, but instead said:
"No matter what, you can fight as far as you can, fight as hard as you want, and the louder the better, I won't interfere."
At this point, he sat up straight and emphasized his tone:
“If Sima Yi only plans to annex the state, leaving Luoyang empty, and letting you attack all the way and take the opportunity to reach Luoyang City, that would be the best.”
However, in Feng Duhu's view, this situation was taken for granted.
Seeing the happy faces of the two of them, he reminded:
“It’s just that Sima Yi has a good way of leading an army and is extremely cautious in his actions. In my opinion, he probably won’t be so careless.”
“So you must remember: do your best, and don’t force yourself too hard. If things really go wrong, retreat to Tongguan immediately. Do you understand?”
Feng Duhu’s eyes fell on the two of them:
“If there is a problem with Shangdang, it can still be saved, but if there is a problem with Tongguan, then the situation will really collapse.”
“Wei Yan’s matter can only be done once and never again, do you understand?”
Zhongduhu is reminding himself of Wei Yan's incident!
Jiang Wei and Liu Yin were shocked and quickly and solemnly responded.
When the two were about to leave, Jiang Wei finally couldn't hold it back:
“Zhongduhu plans to go to Hedong?”
Feng Duhu yawned and raised the plan document in his hand to cover his face. After yawning, he put down the document and said:
“Yes, when Li Xinhou (Li Qiu) and others arrive, I plan to go to Hedong to meet Sima Yi and his son.”
General Guan went to Taiyuan, in the north.
Jiang Wei and Liu Yin went to Hangu, in the south.
Feng Duhu went to Hedong and sat in the middle.
Three ways to proceed.
As Feng Duhu spoke, he narrowed his eyes. He didn't know whether he was tired and wanted to doze off, or whether he was thinking about something.
Sima Yi, I want to see which direction you plan to focus on.
As long as Taiyuan is not lost, everything will be possible.
Wang Ping, don’t let me down...
(End of this chapter)