Chapter 581: At the foot of Guancheng
The so-called Jueying Meeting refers to a banquet hosted by the King of Chuzhuang for the officials. During the banquet, the lights were blown out by the wind. Someone lost his temper after drinking and touched the hand of Xu Ji, the beloved concubine of the King of Chu. Xu Ji pulled off the tassel.
Then Xu Ji went to the King of Chuzhuang to complain, saying that as long as the lamps and candles were lit, whoever did not have a helmet would be a rude person.
King Zhuang of Chu said, "Why do you humiliate a scholar for the sake of women's integrity?"
So everyone was ordered to have a good time and disperse. In order to facilitate drinking, the helmets and tassels must be removed.
After all the ministers were gone, the lamps were lit again, and the matter was settled.
Seven years later, the king of Chuzhuang attacked Zheng. There was a minister who was always at the front. He achieved the first victory in five battles.
After the victory, he did not want the reward from King Chuzhuang. When he inquired about it, it was Ye Jueying who did it seven years ago. He said that today's actions were all repayment of unaccounted for kindness.
Ma Di naturally knew this allusion. Hearing Li Sheng's words, his heart moved.
The death row, as the name suggests, is those who have been sentenced to death.
Every time the two armies confront each other, they rush to the front, which is a veritable escape from death.
From Ma Su's point of view, those soldiers who were put on death row were almost dead. If they could get their gratitude and kill the enemy desperately, it would be a good idea.
Just doing this would be a violation of military law.
"Behead the evildoers in accordance with military law, beat those who help the evildoers with thirty military sticks and then be put on death row. General Liu, please go and comfort that family."
Ma Su pondered for a long time and finally came to a conclusion.
Li Sheng’s face changed slightly after hearing this.
Liu Yin insisted, "General Ma, how can we say that the culprit helps the evil in this kind of thing? These three people are all the culprits. If they want to be killed, they will be killed together. Why should there be mercy?"
"I have my own thoughts. Do I still need you to teach me how to be the commander of this army?"
Ma Su said angrily, "Why don't you retreat quickly?"
The calculation in his heart is naturally about Li Sheng.
Seeing him begging for mercy like this, there must be some reason behind it.
Singling out one culprit and practicing military law is enough to frighten the entire army.
At this time, it is another time to employ people, and the remaining two people can just give Li Sheng a favor.
Kill two birds with one stone.
Liu Yin's identity was quite sensitive, and Ma Su was a person whom the Prime Minister valued highly. When he saw Ma Su angrily reprimanding him, he had no choice but to shut up.
Ma Su felt that the matter was handled properly, so he covered his head and fell asleep.
But he didn't know that after this happened, the attitude of the people in Lueyang City towards the Han army became a little subtle.
After he led the army over, another Han army came.
The people of Lueyang could not believe it this time, so they all packed up their things and fled to the mountains.
Gao Xiang led 5,000 men to Lueyang to guard the east gate of Longyou. At the same time, he also wanted to respond to Ma Su. It was Zhuge Liang's third line of defense at the Longshan Pass.
By this time, the Han's offensive against Longyou was finally completed.
To the west, Wei Yan was the chief general and Chen Shi was the deputy general to attack Longxi County. To the northwest was Guan Xing Zhang Bao to guard the Liangzhou troops. In the southeast was Wu Yi the main general and Wu Ban the deputy general to attack Gui. Zhuge Liang personally led the Chinese army to attack the city of Hebei.
In the northeast, there was Gao Xiang guarding the east gate of Longyou at Lueyang, and Ma Su at the street pavilion. At the same time, Feng Yong rushed to attack Longkou.
As long as one part of Longxi County or Jicheng can be captured, the Han Dynasty will be able to mobilize excess troops, and the situation in Longyou will almost be settled.
Feng Yong led his army only one day earlier than Ma Su, but when all his troops passed the street pavilion two days later, Ma Su was able to lead his troops to arrive on the third day.
I saw that the terrain here is flat and broad, with a river running through it in the north, and a small town with ruined streets and pavilions standing in the middle. Not far from the south, a high mountain rises abruptly, not connected to the mountains on the north and south sides, which looks extremely weird.
Ma Di personally led people into the small town to inspect it, and there were still traces of Feng Yongan's camp inside.
All kinds of broken bricks and tiles have been collected and the dangerous walls have been knocked down. Only some solid platform foundations and the like are left, and the holes dug when the stakes were erected can still be seen.
Ma Su then smiled and said, "This Feng Mingwen is just staying for one night, and he is not willing to waste the strength of his soldiers to repair this deserted city. It is really superfluous."
Liu Yin, who was beside him, said, "Feng Langjun strictly abides by the method of marching and setting up a camp, so he is very cautious."
After hearing this, Ma Su felt a little unhappy.
He knew that if Feng Yong succeeded in attacking the pass, there would basically be nothing major happening here in Jieting. The prime minister sent him here just in case, so he was a little careless about this trip.
Now that I heard Liu Yin's words again, I felt arrogant in my heart: This kind of method of setting up a stronghold is just old-fashioned, what's the point of praising it?
At that moment, he took the lead and walked out of the city. When he saw the sudden rise of the mountain, his heart moved, so he asked someone to bring the horse over and go up the mountain to have a look.
When he reached the mountain, he saw that the top of the mountain was flat and wide enough to accommodate ten thousand people camping.
Looking east from the mountain, not only can everything below be seen, but even the Guanlong Avenue from Guanzhong is cut off by the mountain.
Looking to the west, Lueyang City behind is also under the cover of this mountain.
"There is a saying in the art of war: if you look down from a high position, the force will be like splitting bamboo. You think, if a large army charges down from this mountain, who can stop it?"
Ma Su pointed to the Guanlong Avenue in front and asked thoughtfully.
Liu Yin nodded and praised, "This mountain is indeed a God-given place, and General Ma has a unique vision. If we set up camp at the street pavilion, and then arrange a partial army on this mountain to act as horns, the Cao thieves will be several times more powerful." I can’t pass either.”
Ma Su smiled proudly.
Guanlong Avenue winds up along Longshan Mountain. The highest one is Guanshan Mountain, also known as Longdi and Longban.
On the east **** of the top of Guanshan Mountain, there is a flat land that can accommodate more than a hundred households.
Longguan was built here.
Along the Guanlong Avenue, many dock pavilions were set up in the Later Han Dynasty. After the Qianghu Rebellion in Liangzhou, the Qiang people set fire to Longguan, and all the dock pavilions along the way were destroyed.
After Cao Cao's rebellion against Ma Chao in Liang Prefecture, in order to provide early warning to Longguan on the east **** of Guanshan Mountain, several more dock pavilions were built in dangerous places.
There is still a chill in the night of Longyou in February. If you climb Longshan Mountain, the higher you go, the colder it becomes.
In a pavilion dozens of miles west of Guanshan Mountain, Cao Bing, holding his weapon, woke up from the cold. He looked at the fire pit in the middle of the house and saw that the fire inside had long been extinguished, leaving only a faint red light. , came over and carefully put the branch in, and also blew carefully.
“Did you oversleep again?”
There was a grunt-like curse from behind.
Cao Bing did not answer the words of the people behind him. He knew that most of the night had passed at this time and his companions would not wake up at this time.
Seeing that the branches were burning again, he stood up, pushed the door open and walked out, ready to drain the water he had held back during the night.
The companions in the room felt the warmth in the fire pit while half asleep, and subconsciously moved closer.
After a while, the door was pushed open with a loud bang, and a cold wind blew in.
“Why do you open such a big door?”
The man next to the fire pit cursed with half-open eyes.
“Get up quickly! The Han army is coming!”
Someone shouted loudly.
There were chaotic steps in the room, and I don’t know how many people rushed in.
“What? Where are you? Why don’t the people in front set off beacon smoke?”
"We were attacked at night! There was no time to let go. Many of the brothers who escaped fell down the mountain during the night, and we were the only ones who managed to escape overnight."
Someone said hurriedly, "Hurry! Hurry up the beacon!"
As soon as the sleeping person heard this, he suddenly woke up.
"Is the news accurate? Which booth are you from?"
The visitor took out the token and after verification, the people in the pavilion rushed out and lit the beacon smoke that had been prepared long ago.
“Enemy attack!”
Ye Shao’s heart tightened and he shouted loudly, “There is a fire under the mountain!”
The city of Guancheng soon began to become panicked.
“Has it been discovered?”
Zhao Guang looked at the fire ahead with some regret.
"Yes. There are still two docks that have not been removed, which is a pity."
The swordsman from Guanlong, who was dressed differently from the army sergeants, had a somewhat ashamed expression on his face.
"It doesn't matter, you have already done a great job for the army to get here so smoothly."
Zhao Guang, however, did not hesitate to praise, "Go down and collect the reward."
After daybreak, Cao Jun's sentry who stayed behind to investigate the situation looked at the army coming out of the morning mist, winding like a long snake, and his face began to turn pale.
Feng Yong gasped for air, the white mist spitting out of his mouth lingered for a long time, and the cold air was sucked into his lungs, which made him feel a little painful.
Beside the pass, the river flows softly, whimpering down, and is extremely clear.
The Guanlong Avenue is called the Grand Avenue, but it is actually just a road carved out of valleys and river valleys.
Most of the stones paved on the road are made from local materials, from rivers and mountains.
Horse hooves stepped on the stone, and occasionally a spark would slip out.
Looking up, the rolling hills appear far and near in the misty clouds, almost as if they are far away.
Looking down, I saw a vast sea of forest, and thick dark clouds wrapped around the mountainside. I felt like I was in the middle of it, and the chill was even more penetrating to my skin.
It is really difficult to cross the mountain.
Even the soldiers of Nanxiang began to show lack of stamina when they arrived in this kind of terrain.
Fortunately, most of the troops in Feng Yong's hands were Nanzhong Yi. At this time, their advantages were increasingly shown.
The survival of Cao Jun's last two docks bought the most critical preparation time for Longguan on the top of Guan Mountain.
Longguan immediately dispatched men and horses and ran down the mountain quickly, hoping to convey the news of the Han army's attack as quickly as possible to the general Cao Zhen who was stalemate with the Han army in Xicheng.
One day later, Feng Yong led the Chinese army out of the valley, turned a corner, and suddenly saw a square Guancheng standing on the hillside in front of him, looking down at him like a tiger.
At the foot of the mountain, there is a small mountain stream coming from the west and joining the mountain river coming from the northwest. You can see that the river gradually turns eastward.
“Brother, it’s not easy to camp here. There is no place where the whole army can be arranged, so we can only camp separately.”
Zhao Guang, who arrived a day early, came over and said with some worry.
"It doesn't matter, there is little flat land in this mountain, so it is most normal to set up separate camps."
Feng Yong nodded.
As he spoke, he looked at Guancheng, which was eyeing his army, and asked, "How is the situation in Guancheng?"
"Guancheng runs east-west, and each wall is more than a mile long. There is an urn city in the east of the city, and there are only city walls in the west. On weekdays, there are only a thousand people garrisoned inside."
“However, according to what You Xiaer discovered, a group of Cao soldiers came from the foot of the mountain a few days ago. I don’t know how many people there are in the city now.”
Zhao Guang looked at Guancheng and said with some worry, "This pass is built on the top of Guanshan Mountain. It is easy to defend but difficult to attack. I don't know how many lives it will cost."
The Guanlong Avenue ends here, passing through Longguan in an east-west direction.
Only after entering Longguan can you continue eastward and go down the mountain.
Feng Yong looked at Guancheng on the hillside and flat, feeling a little anxious in his heart.
He stepped forward, wanting to see more clearly. Unexpectedly, he accidentally stepped into the river. The cold water made his heart move, and he asked, "Where is the water source? Where does the water source in the city come from?" ?”
In the original history, Ma Dazui occupied a mountain and set up a stronghold, but did not occupy the water source. He was surrounded by people, almost died of thirst, and could not rush down the mountain. This led to the morale of the army was chaotic and he returned in a disastrous defeat.
When Feng Yong thought of this, a thought suddenly flashed across his mind, and he felt as if he had forgotten something.
However, capturing the Long Pass in front of him was the most important thing for him to plan for. Feng Yong quickly forced himself to calm down and think about how to break the pass.
This Longguan is built on the top of Guanshan Mountain. Even if a well is dug, it is difficult to see the water layer. Nine out of ten water sources in the city rely on mountain springs and rivers.
If we can find out the water source in the city, maybe there will be a solution.
Zhao Guang naturally didn't know what Feng Yong was thinking. When he heard Feng Yong's question, he was moved, but he didn't understand it for a moment. He said apologetically, "How to draw water in the city, but my little brother didn't pay attention to it." Pass."
Feng Yong nodded, "It doesn't matter. It's good that you can find out its general situation. When marching and fighting, only when you get there and see it with your own eyes can you know what the real situation is."
Feng Yong squinted at Guancheng and said, "There is a saying in the art of war: a big city with few people, a small city with many people, little food and no supply of firewood and water, it is not a city that can be defended. How high is this city?"
“Four feet long.” (The length of the Han Dynasty was shorter than that of later generations. One foot is a little more than two meters, less than three meters. For four feet, it is about nine and a half meters.)
Feng Yong listened and nodded.
"For a four-foot city wall, the bottom wall should be two feet thick and the top wall should be one foot wide. The four walls of Guancheng are all more than a mile long. Calculating this, there can be no more than three thousand people inside."
"No matter how much water and food are provided, too many soldiers will be crowded into such a small city, which will cause great inconvenience." (One mile in the Han system is a little more than 400 meters.)
Zhao Guang was surprised when he heard this, "How can brother know this?"
“The art of war taught by the Prime Minister.”
It was only at this time that Feng Yong felt that Old Demon Zhuge was indeed worthy of being admitted to the martial arts temple. It was just such a point of military knowledge. If he didn't tell him, he might not be able to react in his lifetime.
It is really reasonable to preach one sentence in truth and tens of thousands of books in false.
After hearing this, Zhao Guang remembered that the prime minister had personally given his brother a book and asked him to read it carefully, and he couldn't help but feel a little envious.
The Prime Minister really treats his brother like a disciple.
Feng Yong was heard pointing at Guancheng with his horse whip again, "This pass was originally intended to cut off the connection between Longyou and Guanzhong. It can be seen from the fact that there is a urn city in the east of the city but not in the west. This pass focuses on guarding the east and lightly guarding West."
"In addition, the terrain is higher in the west and lower in the east, which is of great benefit to us. If we attack the city from the east, we attack from the top, and even if we are afraid of bleeding, we will not be able to capture it. But when we attack the city from the west, the terrain is higher. , as long as you are willing to work hard, you can capture it sooner or later."
When Guanlong Avenue reaches here, it is all paved with cobblestones, making it easy to walk. There is no need to worry about bad road conditions.
At that time, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty once passed by here in a chariot. Later, a thunderbolt came down from the sky and shook the emperor of Han Dynasty, so this pass was named Dazhen Pass.
Of course, the point is not here. The point is that both the east and west gates of Guancheng can drive.
"Go and make arrangements and have someone send a message to the people in Guancheng, telling them: I will give them one day to think about it. If they surrender before this time tomorrow, I will not embarrass them at all, and they can stay or go."
“Except for weapons and armor, you can take away all your belongings, and you won’t keep any of them.”
“If it lasts more than one day, after breaking through the barrier, everyone above the garrison commander will be killed.”
“If it lasts more than two days, all teams with a rate above the level after passing the level will be killed.”
“If it lasts more than three days, all those who are taller and taller will be killed after breaking the barrier.”
After this period, Zhang He may arrive at any time, and it will be useless to attack further.
So at this most critical juncture, no mercy can be said, and psychological tactics must be introduced first.
As for if we really break the level later, of course we won’t be killed - how valuable is labor?
Nowadays, Nanzhong’s labor sources are drying up, and there is an urgent need to open up new labor sources.
The five places in the textile workshop were sold, and the aristocratic families in Shuzhong had handed over their money and food. Suddenly, news of the Northern Expedition came, and I don’t know how many families were secretly gnashing their teeth to assassinate the villain.
After tying the little man, he has to ask the ghosts and gods in the sky for blessings. The big man must succeed in the Northern Expedition—otherwise, where will the wool come from?
It feels so sour and refreshing.
The land in Longyou is vast and sparsely populated. If we want to resume farming quickly and open up pastures quickly, how can we do it without labor?
At that time, whether the prisoners of war are allowed to work in Longyou and farmed in the fields, or whether they are sent to Liangzhou to strengthen the foundation of the Han people, they will all be of great use.
Feng Langjun is still very conscientious and is already making plans for everyone.
(End of this chapter)