Chapter 1238 Smuggling into Chou Sang
Plateau is a unique landform in the Yongliang area of Guanzhong.
Due to the perennial erosion of flowing water, the loess texture follows the direction of the water flow, forming a long platform-like terrain with steep sides and a flat top.
For example, during the First World War in Guanzhong, the Wuzhangyuan where the Prime Minister stationed troops was actually a type of plain.
The high plateau where Hangu Pass is located starts from Dahe in the north and reaches Qinling Mountains in the south. It is called Cousangyuan.
As you can tell from this name, this plateau might have been covered with mulberry trees in the past.
There are cliffs on both sides of Choosangyuan, and there is a cliff in the east. Together with the dense forest on the plateau, Hangu Pass is a dangerous terrain where one man can pass it and no one can pass it.
But to this day, the water level of the river continues to cut downwards, exposing a large area of the river bed.
The army can bypass Hangu Pass directly from the riverbed exposed on the south bank of the river, and Gaoyuan will naturally lose its role in blocking the enemy.
However, in his early years, Cao Cao attacked Zhang Lu and Ma Chao in the west. In order to transfer troops, horses and food, he ordered Xu Chu to build a gate tower at the narrowest part of the river bed.
This pass tower was built at the northernmost end of the plateau, less than ten miles away from Qinhan Valley Pass, and was called the new pass.
The current Wei army is guarding Qinhan Valley Pass and Xinguan Pass at the same time, blocking the advancement of the Han army.
Jiang Wei and Liu Yin were short of troops, and the Wei army was well prepared. They dug a deep trench and built a barrier in front of the new pass in advance, leaving them with little choice but to do something.
Hearing Jiang Wei's words and seeing his eyes looking southward along Cousang Plain, Liu Yin immediately guessed what the other party was thinking, and he couldn't help but feel worried:
"Does Bojo want to find a way to climb to a high plateau? Most of these plateaus are cliffs and there are dense forests on them, so it may be difficult to climb up."
At this time, although the Choumulberry Plain was no longer a forest of mulberry trees, it was still lush with trees, making it extremely difficult to climb.
“If the west side of Choosangyuan is the same as the east side, both facing a dead stream, then we have no other option but to attack by force.”
Jiang Wei looked at the endless high plains with a firm gaze:
“Now that there is no perfect stream here, we have to give it a try. Otherwise, how can we be willing to return without success?”
Hearing this, Liu Yin knew that Jiang Wei had made up his mind and could not persuade him any more, so he could only ask:
“Then how should I cooperate with Bethjo?”
Jiang Weidao:
"The fighting was fierce in the first round, and the soldiers may be a little tired. Just arrange for them to rest, and the thieves will not doubt it."
"I will take this opportunity to lead the army southward and look for opportunities. If we can find a mountain path, I will send someone to inform Xiuren and we will act together."
Liu Yin heard the words and nodded:
"This is very good. The soldiers should really take a rest."
So the two summoned the generals below, and Jiang Wei said:
"The thieves are well prepared today. If we attack them forcefully, the casualties will be incalculable. Therefore, I want to lead an elite force to find dangerous routes to defeat the thieves."
“There are many difficulties and dangers if I go here. Who is willing to follow me?”
All the generals responded enthusiastically:
“I am willing to follow the general!”
Jiang Wei was overjoyed to see that his morale was ready. He carefully selected three thousand men who dared to die. They did not wear armor, but only carried leather armor and enough dry food. They all held axes, cut ropes and other tools, and began to explore southward along the Choosang Plain. go.
It’s just that the walls of the Choosang Plateau are as sharp as a knife, lying between the Qinling Mountains and the river. How difficult is it to find a dangerous path across it?
Even if they occasionally find a place where they can cross the high plateau, the Wei army has already been prepared because it is too close to Hangu Pass.
Jiang Wei had no choice but to lead his army and continue walking south.
It’s just that the further south you go, the harder it is to go.
Jiang Wei led his people and headed south for dozens of miles, but found that the place was desolate and overgrown with weeds. He could only rely on the high plateau and cliffs to identify the direction.
The soldiers could only use their swords and axes to open the way, one foot higher and the other lower.
This trip started in the beginning of August. In ten days, we only covered seventy or eighty miles. We did not cover more than ten miles in one day.
Except for the fact that wherever you go, there are rare human traces, there is no way to go, and you need to make your own way.
Jiang Wei and his soldiers had to carefully search for any place where they could climb up to the high plateau, so the speed was naturally very slow.
The terrain near Choosangyuan is inherently undulating with thousands of ravines.
The Hundred Miles Road may not seem that far away, but if you really have to walk it through mountains and ravines, it is actually two hundred or even three hundred miles.
In addition, from the Qinling Mountains, a lot of water flows into the river. However, due to insufficient flow, it accumulates under the high plateaus, forming mud pits and even swamps.
These mud pits and swamps are often hidden among tall weeds. If you are not careful, you will sink into them.
Had Jiang Wei not asked someone to bring extra ropes and pull them out in time, the soldiers who fell in would have been swallowed by the mud and water.
Even so, several soldiers still disappeared into the wild grass and deep pools. Nearly a hundred people were sick and injured due to various reasons and had to be transferred back.
Fortunately, Jiang Wei found a few dry places along the way and set up temporary camps without dismantling them, so he didn't have to worry about going back.
When the terrain rose significantly, even Jiang Wei had to abandon his horse and explore the road on foot with his soldiers.
"General, if we go further, we will reach the Qinling Mountains. What should we do?"
If they arrive in the Qinling Mountains and fail to find a suitable location, then they will really have to return without success this time.
Jiang Wei raised his eyes and looked up, but the last ten miles or so of Choosang Plain remained the same as before, and its end had already submerged into the Qinling Mountains and formed one with the Qinling Mountains.
Jiang Wei looked back at the soldiers around him, but he saw that everyone was covered in mud, water and dirt, and looked tired.
Fortunately, the Guanzhong Eighth Army has received rigorous training and is led by veterans of hundreds of battles, so their morale is acceptable.
So he called all the generals to come and said:
"As the saying goes, a person who travels a hundred miles is only half as good as ninety. This means that the end of the road is difficult. How can our army retreat after reaching this point?"
“Tomorrow, I and you and others will carefully search the last ten miles. If we get God’s blessing and cross this plateau, I will share the great achievements with you.”
Those who can take the initiative to ask for orders to follow Jiang Wei to explore the road are naturally mentally prepared for the current situation, and they all responded:
“We are willing to follow the general!”
Jiang Wei then ordered everyone to go down and encourage the soldiers to wait for tomorrow.
It’s just that no matter how useful the military spirit is, it still depends on God’s will.
At dawn the next day, Jiang Wei ordered the camp to be broken up and the search began.
But until the sun passed the zenith, none of the teams had any good news.
Jiang Wei stood at the foot of the high plateau and looked up. He saw that the mud and rocks on the high plateau were jagged and monster-like, as if they would fall down and smash people if they were disturbed.
Looking at the Qinling Mountains not far away, the mountains are stacked on top of each other as far as the eye can see. The white clouds in the sky surround the mountain peaks, making them mysterious and unpredictable.
He couldn't help but let out a long sigh:
“Surely God will not bless me?”
Who would have expected that as the sun went down and the last group of troops returned to camp, one person would be secretly escorted back:
“General, we have captured someone, maybe it’s a trick!”
When Jiang Wei heard this, his heart skipped a beat, "Elaborate work?"
But when I saw the team leader came up with a sword and a bow:
“General, these are the weapons collected from this person.”
Jiang Wei took it and took a closer look, and couldn't help but raise his eyebrows:
“This is...the thief’s military weapon?”
The appearance of this sword and bow is already a bit old, but Jiang Wei joined the army in Tianshui, Liangzhou anyway, and he can recognize it at a glance as the style of the weapons used by Wei thieves in his early years.
He couldn't help but look up at Xizou who was tied tightly and even his mouth was sealed.
There are actually some thieves working in this place?
Could it be that the rebel army had already anticipated my actions?
His heart sank when he thought of this.
But when I saw that Xia Zuo had anxious eyes, he kept whining and twisting his body, as if to indicate that he had something to say.
“Take the thing out of his mouth, I have something to ask.”
When Xi Zuo got a chance to speak, before he could catch his breath, he collapsed on the ground, kowtowed repeatedly, and begged for mercy:
"General, general, the villain is not careful, not careful, really not careful!"
Jiang Wei's eyes fell on him, but he saw that this man's face was full of fear and his clothes were ragged. He did not look like a meticulous worker.
“Where did you find him?”
"Back to the general, we followed the general's order and went to the foot of Nanshan Mountain to investigate. Unexpectedly, this person was hiding in the jungle and setting up a trap. If we hadn't searched carefully, we would have been injured by the trap."
"You are wronged, General. You are wronged by the villain! The trap set by the villain was originally for hunting. How dare you hurt the tiger soldiers under the general's command?"
“Hunting?”
Jiang Wei is such a smart person. He immediately captured the important information in this person's words.
Dan saw him raise the sword and bow in his hand and signaled:
"This is a weapon used by Wei thieves. If you are just a hunter, how can you explain this?"
“Besides, I’ve never seen any human beings during my journey here. You said you were hunting, so where do you live?”
With that said, Jiang Wei pointed to the Qinling Mountains, "Is it possible that you live in the deep mountains and old forests of the Qinling Mountains? Isolated from the world?"
Jiang Wei saw it and immediately shouted:
“It is indeed a meticulous work. Take him down and torture him severely. You must ask him everything he knows!”
“Here!”
Who would have expected that Wei Jun's meticulous work was spineless? Before the sergeant could pull him up, he immediately shouted:
"General, General, spare your life! The villain has been recruited, the villain has been recruited!"
Jiang Wei waved his hand, and the sergeant put the man down knowingly.
Jiang Wei raised his chin and signaled: "Go ahead."
Seeing the other person lying on the ground, Jiang Wei hummed a few times, eyes rolling around, and Jiang Wei said "Huh?"
"The villain said, the villain said, the villain's name is Li Liu, and he does live in the mountains..."
Before he finished speaking, Jiang Wei threw the sword and bow in front of him with a clang and shouted:
"How dare you quibble! This weapon is a weapon used by the Wei thieves. You don't know but I don't know!"
"If you live in the mountains, let me ask you, where did you get this weapon?"
Seeing Li Liu tremble, he said somewhat squeakingly:
"It's...it was passed down from the villain's father..."
Jiang Wei came up to him and said word by word:
“That is to say, your master once served in the Wei army, right?”
Li Liu suddenly raised his head and looked at Jiang Wei in disbelief.
Jiang Wei did not give him a chance to react and continued:
“And, he’s a deserter?”
The other person’s face suddenly lost all color and became extremely pale.
When Jiang Wei saw the other party's expression, he had already guessed it. He sneered, stood up straight, and looked at Li Liu condescendingly:
"If you are really not a meticulous worker, then you are probably living nearby when you appear here. If I send people to search for it, maybe we can find some clues..."
“General, General, spare your life, General, spare your life!”
Jiang Wei's words, as if he could guess everything, directly broke Li Liu's psychology. He kowtowed, "I'll move, I'll move all!"
"explain!"
“The villain, the villain’s great lord, indeed once lived in Wei…Wei…”
“Wei thief!”
"Yes, yes, yes! I once served as a soldier for the Wei thieves. That is, that is," the man thought hard, "that was more than twenty years ago."
“The villain’s ancestor was a person from Guanzhong. Later, he was attacked by the army and his family fled to Hanzhong. Unexpectedly, Wei and Wei thieves later invaded Hanzhong and moved all the people in Hanzhong.”
"The villain was only thirteen years old at the time, and he moved back to his hometown with his late father. Unexpectedly, before he could settle down and make a living, the local government bullied the villain and his family before they returned to their hometown. They had nothing to live on, so they took the villain away. Join the army with everyone."
"My father and son have just passed Hangu Pass with the army. It is reported that the Wei thieves were defeated again in Jingzhou in the south. The war is getting tense. The King of Wei is moving the capital, which makes people panic."
“At that time, many soldiers fled privately, and the villain and his father also took advantage of the chaos to escape and hid in the Qinling Mountains.”
When Jiang Wei heard this, he finally understood.
Isn't this the case that Cao Cao and the late emperor were at a disadvantage in the battle for Hanzhong, and then encountered the Battle of Xiangfan and had insufficient troops, so he had to urgently recruit servants from all over the country?
Of course, Jiang Wei doesn’t care whether this person’s words are true or false.
Anyway, he is the general of the Han Dynasty who conquered the east, and has nothing to do with the Wei thieves.
He was only concerned about whether he could climb over the high plateau in front of him and get around to the rear of the rebel army.
“Is what you said true?”
"The villain guarantees with his life that every word is true."
Judging from the flags of the army in front of us, most of them are Shangchi. Now that they are calling Wei a thief, they must be Han troops.
If it were Wei Jun, he would definitely not dare to tell even a single word of the truth.
“Well, since you dare to guarantee this, that means you have been hiding in this mountain for more than twenty years?”
"yes."
“That means you are familiar with this area?”
"yes."
“Then you must also know how to cross this plateau?”
“Know, know…”
Jiang Wei approached the man again and stared at him: "Lead the way. As long as you can lead the right way, I will believe you."
In troubled times, it is not strange for people to take refuge in the mountains and forests. On the contrary, it is the most normal thing.
Li Liu’s words really make it hard for people to find anything wrong with them.
Jiang Wei stood up and waved.
“General?”
“Bring me a bag of sugar, three bags of dry food, and five blankets.”
“Here.”
The things were quickly brought over. Jiang Wei threw a piece of candy in front of him and signaled:
“Try?”
The man picked it up hesitantly, hesitated, and took a bite carefully.
Just after chewing it twice, his eyes suddenly lit up: "Salty? Delicious!"
“Of course it’s delicious. It’s mixed with salt, shredded pork, chicken and many other good things. Eating one piece can make a full meal.”
Jiang Wei said, patting the bag:
“These three bags are all filled with this good stuff.”
He took out another piece and threw it over, "Try this again."
This time, the man didn’t hesitate and just bit off a big piece.
Then his eyes suddenly widened: "Sweet?"
He spoke too hastily and accidentally sprayed foam from his mouth. Then he was so frightened that he subconsciously covered his mouth, carefully scratched the ground, picked up the foam the size of rice grains, and put it back into his mouth.
“Of course it’s sweet.” A smile appeared on Jiang Wei’s face, and he patted the bag containing the candy. “It’s such a big bag, it’s all there.”
"It has sugar added to it. Just the piece in your hand can satisfy your hunger for half a day."
“What is sugar?”
“That’s honey.”
I’m too lazy to explain to him, and I can’t explain it clearly anyway.
"You will lose your life..." The man's eyes were a little dull and he murmured, "You will lose your life if you eat it..."
“Peng!”
Jiang Wei shook out the blanket and threw it in front of him, "The blanket is very thick! It's very cold in the mountains. Cover it at night and it will be extremely warm! If you don't believe me, touch it!"
"General, general, what are you..."
Li Liu's body was trembling, and even his lips were trembling.
"As long as you can take us to the other side, these will all be yours, and I will let you go then."
Jiang Wei pointed at the thing in front of him, and then stared at the other person coldly:
"But if you can't do it, then it must be Wei thieves who are careful. When the time comes, I will use your head to sharpen the sword!"
Li Liu kowtowed quickly:
"The villain dare not hide the truth from the general. The villain just knows that there is a place where he can climb up and cross the plateau."
"good!"
Jiang Wei was overjoyed.
When the sergeant took Li Liu down, someone on the left and right asked worriedly:
“General, if this person lies, or if he is a traitor to Wei, we will be in danger if we follow him!”
Jiang Wei smiled and said:
"How could I not have thought of it? It's just that I think this man's clothes and demeanor don't look like those in the army. Even if what he said is false, it's still half true."
Then he lowered his voice again:
"Just now I used words to deceive him. Judging from his reaction, I guess his residence must be nearby. You should lead people to search carefully."
“It would be best if we could find the same kind of person. Even if we can’t find it, we still need to find clues. Then I will test it again and I will know whether he is careful or not.”
If the other party's accomplices are really escaping from the world, they may have already started to hide elsewhere.
But in haste, all traces cannot be destroyed.
At that time, as long as they confirm each other, they will know the true identity of the other party.
“Here!”
(End of this chapter)