Chapter 734: Beheading and Truncation
"Your Majesty, the situation has changed." When the sun turned to the west, the captain of the Dark Night Battalion came over to report the new situation, "It seems that Cao Cao is making some moves?"
Feng Yong was shocked, "Has he been discovered?"
“No. It’s a new bandit army discovered in the west.”
Feng Yong’s heart tightened, “How many people are there?
“I don’t know yet, but the brothers in the camp are trying to find out. But it looks like there are many vehicles, cattle and horses inside, and it looks like they are escorting grain and grass.”
At this time, Zhang Yuan, who had been staying on the top of the mountain to observe the enemy's situation, also ran down panting, still holding tightly in his hand the telescope that Feng Yong had temporarily asked him to keep.
“Chief of the mountain, Cao Cao has sent us a batch of food and supplies.”
This is...the logistics force?
Feng Yong's mind immediately changed.
Coming from the west, they were either sent by Jincheng or came from the other side of the Yellow River and crossed the river from Jincheng.
Going eastward, there must be only one destination: Yuzhong.
So, this small camp is a transit station, or a temporary foothold.
From the smooth road in the mountains, to the unguarded mountain pass, to the Wei army's large convoy appearing right before his eyes.
Feng Yong became more and more sure of one thing: Jiang Wei's guess was probably right. The Wei army in Jincheng didn't even expect that he would come over the mountain.
Although I don’t know what Liu Hun and Chen Shi did, the Wei army defenders in Hexi did not notify Jincheng.
Perhaps he has already been notified, but General Jincheng didn't pay attention at all.
But no matter what, this is an excellent opportunity.
Feng Yong thought for a while and asked someone to call Li Jian over.
“Your Majesty, what are your orders?”
The turban that Li Jian originally wore has long since disappeared because it is easy to get caught on branches and weeds when walking in the mountains.
His coat also had several tears.
Although this son of an aristocratic family did not seem to have suffered too much, he was able to grit his teeth and persevere all the way, which made Feng Yonggao look at him.
“Do many people know this road over the mountains from the south?”
Feng Yong asked.
"There should be quite a few. After all, the clan's caravan comes out of the mountains, so it can't be hidden from anyone."
Li Jian didn’t understand why Feng Yong asked this question, and he specifically pointed outside.
“There used to be a small village on the flat land outside the valley. In fact, that was where the clan’s caravans stayed for the night after coming out of the mountains.”
Feng Yong immediately remembered the small camp, "But there are no small villages outside now, there is only a Cao thief's camp."
Li Jian smiled when he heard this.
“The good king learned that since the Northern Expedition of the Han Dynasty and the restoration of Longyou, many people in Yuzhong and near Jincheng have been moved to Hexi.”
"Most of those who have not been moved are in the city and around the outer city. How can there be any human habitation in other places?"
“So when the tribe’s caravan came over the mountain for the last time last year, the small village was no longer there.”
Li Jian felt sad when he thought of his family.
At that time, Didao was the only way to go to the Western Regions. Later, although everyone left from Jincheng, there was no problem for the family's caravan to take the old route.
They are all going to the Western Regions anyway!
Unexpectedly, the Qiang people have been causing chaos for more than a hundred years and this passage has been completely blocked.
Later on, the family finally found a new road. Although it was not very convenient, it was better than nothing.
Who would have thought that they would encounter the Northern Expedition of the Han Army again, and this time they would not even be able to get to Guanzhong.
Fortunately, I could still get some Shuzhong specialties from the Li family in Shuzhong, so I could finally breathe a sigh of relief.
Who would have expected that the war between Han and Wei in Longyou would stop, and the Qiang would cause chaos again in Longxi, and even Didao was almost occupied by the barbarians.
So sometimes Li Jian really doubts that there is something wrong with the feng shui of the Li family's ancestral tombs?
Otherwise, why has the fortune of the Li family in Longxi become weaker and weaker over the years?
Feng Yong naturally didn't know what Li Jian was thinking. When he heard Li Jian's words, he remembered that there were no people coming and going on the official road, and then he suddenly came to his senses.
At the same time, I was even more certain in my heart that Jincheng Shou was completely unprepared for this side road.
“Go and call me the three generals.”
Feng Yong ordered Zhang Yuan.
Li Jian resigned wisely.
After learning the true situation outside, Jiang Wei became excited and was the first to speak: "Your Majesty, this is a great opportunity!"
“Food and grass are the foundation of the army. Cao Cao’s food and grass appear here, so Jincheng must have sent reinforcements to Yuzhong.”
"We only need to cut off their food and grass from behind. If there is no food in Cao's army, then the Cao army who went to rescue Yuzhong will collapse! This is much better than containing the Jincheng army!"
Hmm, this speech is very consistent with Jiang Wei’s historical character.
Sometimes I like to use surprise troops and dangerous troops to achieve either a big victory or a big defeat.
Feng Yong looked at Zhang Ni and Jufu, but saw that the two of them were also looking at him with eager eyes.
“Your Majesty, the enemy’s food routes are often heavily guarded and carefully guarded. Opportunities like this are rare to find nowadays, so don’t miss it!”
Although Zhang Yi was more steady and suppressed his voice, his tone was urgent.
Feng Yong pondered, "These are just our guesses. How sure are you?"
Jiang Wei, Zhang Ni, and others helped the three of them look at each other. Finally, Zhang Ni spoke up: "It's a good idea to say less."
That means there is still 30% danger?
Feng Junhou felt a little regretful. Actually, I wanted nine points...and left one point for God's will.
“Okay! Then we will rob this batch of food and grass.”
Feng Yong nodded in agreement.
Now I know nothing about the situation in Jincheng and Yuzhong. If I can rob this batch of food and grass, I can at least get some information from the Cao thief, so that I can make some countermeasures.
The captain of the Wei army stood outside the camp, constantly shouting at the auxiliary soldiers and civilians, asking them to place the grain carts and baggage inside the camp according to the rules.
At the same time, they were asked to place all kinds of livestock around the camp.
Some people were rushing in a hurry, and the food and grass in the car were turned out at once, causing the captain to curse loudly.
“Are you looking for death in a hurry?! This is the food and fodder for the army ahead. If something goes wrong, I’ll see how many of you have your heads chopped off!”
The military prince guarding the camp led his people out to help, and all the food and grass had to be placed before the sun went down.
It was busy and chaotic inside and out.
“Colonel Yang must have been tired and thirsty after traveling all the way. Hot soup has been prepared in the camp, so why not go in and rest for a while. External matters can be left to the lower officials.”
The military marquis said to the leading captain.
The captain nodded, and just as he was about to turn around, the civilian husband who was passing by carrying grain and grass suddenly shook his hand.
With a "peng" sound, the grain bag fell to the ground, its mouth opened, and the yellow millet rice spilled out, mixing with the dust on the ground.
"you wanna die!"
The captain was furious, strode forward, took the handle of the knife and hit the civilian husband **** the head.
The civilian husband was knocked to the ground, and a stream of blood soon flowed from his forehead.
He screamed in agony and was about to cover his wound when suddenly a look of fear appeared in his eyes and he pointed his finger behind the captain.
At the same time, he opened his mouth and screamed, as if he wanted to speak desperately, but could not say a word.
The captain raised his foot and was about to step on it when his arm was suddenly pulled by someone: "Uncle...Uncle..."
Who do you call uncle?
The captain turned his head angrily, and his open mouth could no longer be closed.
Under the golden rays of the sun in the west, countless Shu troops poured out of the valley, like a surging red tide, approaching this small camp.
“Colonel Yang, what should we do?”
The military prince, who had less than two hundred men to guard the camp, was the first to react, his face extremely pale.
Before the captain could say anything, someone who was busy at work shouted: "The Han army is coming!"
So with the small camp as the center, there was a "boom", and many civilians fled in all directions like headless flies.
“Boom!”
Huge stones hit the city wall, and even the Wei soldiers hiding inside the city gate felt the vibrations of the city wall.
Some soldiers who couldn't stand the sound covered their ears tightly.
If it weren't for Wei's strict military laws, the parents, wives and children at home would be implicated, and I'm afraid some people would have started to flee.
When the Han army stopped throwing stones, faint shouts of killing could be heard outside the city.
The soldiers of the Wei army knew that reinforcements from Jincheng were trying to break through the interception of the Han army.
“I am your mother!”
Jincheng prefect Zhang Hua looked at the soldiers who were fighting on the front line and were forced to retreat. He couldn't help but pointed at Yuzhong City to the west and yelled.
"I led the army to rescue you. Wei Ping, are you dead? You don't even dare to go out of the city to respond?"
Three months ago, Xu Miao, the governor of Liangzhou, appointed Zhang Gong of the Zhang family in Dunhuang as the prefect of Jincheng. Zhang Gong declined because of his old age.
Xu Miao also wanted to replace him with Zhang Gong's son Zhang Jiu.
Zhang Gong had no choice but to recommend his younger brother Zhang Hua to be the prefect of Jincheng.
Xu Miao, on the grounds that the Zhang family wrote Dunhuang in Hexi, specially allowed Zhang to take office together with his uncle and serve as the chief historian of Jincheng.
The uncle and nephew of the Zhang family had only been in office for three months when they encountered a large Han army attacking Yuzhong.
Zhang Hua asked his nephew Zhang Ju to guard Jincheng and be responsible for the transportation of grain and grass, while he personally led the army to rescue Yuzhong.
Unexpectedly, Wei Ping, the guard general of Yuzhong, did not even dare to show his head, let alone go out of the city to respond to him.
How can this not cause Zhang Hua to curse?
But Wei Ping in the city couldn't express his sufferings.
When the Han army first arrived at the city, it was not that he did not try to test the strength of the opponent.
Unexpectedly, the military general with the jujube face opposite him was really extraordinary. He killed the soldiers he sent out in one fell swoop and routed his army.
In addition, in the past few days, countless stones have been constantly hitting the city. A few unlucky soldiers were smashed into pulp under everyone's eyes.
It is truly terrifying.
Although the Han army did not formally attack the city, the morale in the city had begun to decline.
The rocks flying all over the sky rumbled like thunder from the sky.
Some huge rocks fell into the city and directly made a big hole in the ground, sinking three feet into the ground.
This is a siege equipment that has never been seen before.
There were even rumors in the city that the Han army had received help from ghosts and gods and had used magic to throw huge rocks on their heads from hundreds of steps away.
Every time a huge boulder was thrown at them, the Wei soldiers hiding under the city wall were frightened, let alone the defenders on the city wall.
Everyone at the top of the city was leaning tightly behind the female wall, feeling the vibration of the city wall, always feeling that the city wall would collapse in the next moment.
Wei Yan did not surround all of Yuzhong this time, he only surrounded the south and west.
To the north is a big river, blocking the way.
The only way to survive is to the east.
But it’s not easy to go east.
Wei Ping knew that after the Shu captives captured Longyou, the Wei Dynasty originally had three strongholds in the east of the river.
In addition to Jincheng and Yuzhong, there is also Zuli from Wuwei County.
But since the Shu captives imitated the Wei Dynasty and appointed a captain to protect the Qiang, Zu Li had to give up.
Because the pseudo-Qiang captain of the Shu captives was so disgusting that he directly placed the headquarters in Pingxiang, which was like pushing into the throats of Yuzhong and Zuli, making people feel like they were stuck in their throats.
What's even more disgusting is that the fake Qiang guard captain didn't know what method he used to make the Longyou barbarians so obedient.
Because Yuzhong is close to the river and has Jincheng echoing each other, there is no need to worry too much.
But Zuli was different. It was too far away and it was difficult to defend the isolated city. It was also often harassed by barbarians coming from the direction of Pingxiang.
So before the Shu captives could send troops, the Wei Dynasty had to voluntarily give up Wuwei's territory east of Hedong.
It is now a grazing land for the Hu people, and there are even rumors that the Shu captives are dividing pastures there for the Hu people.
Wei Ping could definitely guess that if he dared to walk from the east, those barbarians who had become the dogs of the Shu captives would definitely bite him continuously on the road.
So the best way is to wait for the Jincheng reinforcements to arrive, and either repel the Shu captives, or coordinate with the Jincheng reinforcements and return to Jincheng together.
Wei Yan brought more than 20,000 people over, and only surrounded two directions. In addition, there were no soldiers to attack the city for the time being, so the troops were naturally sufficient.
But the Jincheng reinforcements coming from the west made it impossible to concentrate on dealing with the Cao thieves in Yuzhong City, and Wei Yan's anger gradually became uncontrollable.
"Then what happened to Feng Yong? We agreed to contain the Cao thieves in Jincheng, but now all the Cao thieves in Jincheng have gone to Yuzhong City. Where are the others?"
When the sun went down and the two sides stopped fighting, Wei Yan was furious in the commander's tent, "Did he take tens of thousands of troops and horses to play?"
Gao Xiang, the governor of Nan'an who was responsible for blocking Jincheng's reinforcements, could only comfort him when he heard Wei Yan's words: "Maybe Feng Junhou has something to do to delay him."
“Besides, the two armies are divided, making it difficult to communicate and respond in time, which is normal.”
That said, Gao Xiang was still a little worried: Feng Junhou, could something have happened?
Compared to Wei Yan, Feng Yong was young and talented, had outstanding performance in the Northern Expedition, and had outstanding methods in governing Longyou. Naturally, Gao Xiang felt closer to Feng Yong.
Of course, as a general who followed the late emperor from Jingzhou to Shu, General Gao was naturally very principled.
It is certainly not because the Jingzhou faction has benefited from those Hanzhong estates, Nanzhong sugar cane, Longyou woolen workshops, etc. that they are willing to get close to Feng Yong.
Wei Yan was still angry: "What I'm worried about is that Yuzhong City may not be able to hold on for two days. If the city is broken, the Cao thieves will either fight to the death or find a way to escape."
“When the reinforcements from the Cao thieves arrive in the west, how can we annihilate the thieves with all our strength?”
Gao Xiang had another opinion: "General Wei, without Feng Junhou's engineering camp, how could we have broken the city so quickly? Wait a moment."
Wei Yan snorted and refused to answer the topic.
He turned his head and asked Huo Yi who was standing below: "Based on the current situation, how many days do we have before we can break the city?"
Huo Yi was the person sent by the Huqiang Colonel's Mansion to temporarily lead the engineering battalion. His most important task was to just guard the engineering battalion and not allow others to interfere in the command.
He knew that he had little qualifications, so he always stood at the edge and remained silent.
At this time, when he saw Wei Yan asking questions in person, he stood up and said, "Return to the general, as long as there are enough stones, we will be able to break the city in two days."
This is a literal statement from the chief engineer of the engineering battalion. Huo Yi just relayed it. In fact, he knew nothing about the operating terminology of the engineering battalion.
"Okay, I will wait for three more days. After three days, if there is no news from Feng Yong, then let go of the west, and we will just capture Yuzhong City. When the Cao thieves escape, it will all be Feng Yong's fault!"
Wei Yan gritted his teeth and said.
Although it seems that the troops are divided into two sides, in fact, we only need to block the enemy in the west.
When the wall of Yuzhong collapses, it will be the day to attack the city. If we divide our troops again at that time, we will be in danger.
Because the collapse of the city wall is only the first step in attacking the city.
The city will be truly destroyed only after the soldiers have invaded the city and purged the thieves in the city. Therefore, by that time, let alone finding ways to encircle and annihilate the defeated army, they will barely even be able to block the enemies to the west.
(End of this chapter)