Chapter 791 Guan Ji takes command
The news that Feng Yong led his army to Xiaoguan spread quickly, shocking Anding County.
Especially Xiahou Ba, the guard of Yuezhi City, after learning the news, he sent a large number of sentries to Xiaoguan and at the same time sent messengers to Linjing in Anding County.
For a time, various sentinels and messengers were on the road.
Some of my subordinates didn’t understand why the general felt as if he was facing a formidable enemy just after hearing that the Shu captives had increased their troops at Xiao Pass, so he asked:
"Since the general arrived in Guanzhong, he has always been forward in every battle. He has never been left behind. Even if a knife is thrown at him, he has not changed his appearance. How come he has such a thief ambition this time?"
"Feng Thief is cunning and vicious, so I have to be careful."
As the guard of Yuezhi City, if anyone else had said these words, he would be suspected of being cowardly before fighting.
But if it was Xiahou Ba who led the army to attack Yuezhi City at night, took the lead and captured Yuezhi City, the weight would be extraordinary.
Compared with the new generation of maps used by the Han Dynasty, the map in front of Xiahou Ba can be said to be very crude.
The city gates, mountains, rivers, and various official roads are only roughly marked above.
Even so, we can also see the approximate locations of Xiaoguan, Wushi City, Yuezhi City, and Linjing County, the county seat of Anding County.
Connecting these four places forms an irregular quadrilateral, with Xiaoguan and Linjing at opposite corners.
Sending troops from Xiaoguan, you can attack Wushi City on the left and Yuezhi City on the right.
In the same way, Linjing, where most of the troops of Anding County are stationed, can also assist Wushi City on the right and Yuezhi City on the left.
Xiahouba stared at the map and explained:
"Among all the evils committed by the Shu captives, the most evil one is the Ge thieves. The only people below the Ge thieves who can cause harm to the Wei border are Zhao Yun, Wei Yan, Feng Yong and others."
"Zhao Yun and Wei Yan were both veterans of Liu Bei's reign and had experienced battles for many years. During the Battle of Hanzhong, Emperor Wu hurriedly withdrew from Hanzhong because Zhao Yun raided the army."
“Wei Yan was able to guard Hanzhong when the Shu captives were in danger, so he can be considered a good general.”
Speaking of this, Xiahou Ba tapped the location of Xiao Pass on the map with his finger.
"Only Feng Yong became an official in Shu after Liu Bei's death. In less than ten years, he became famous all over the world and reached a high position at a young age."
"Now he can actually guard one side like Zhao Yun, which shows his ability."
Thinking of this person who broke the Long Pass, blocked Zhang He, cared for the Qiang and Hu, and attacked the counties of Longxi and Jincheng, Xiahou Ba couldn't help but increase his tone and repeated the previous words:
"Feng Thief is not only extremely cunning, but also said to be extremely vicious. He is accustomed to cutting off people's escape routes. However, the soldiers he leads are among the best in Shu."
"General Zhang is also considered a good general in our great Wei Dynasty, but he was defeated... Well, I can't help but think of this person. It shows that he is indeed unique in leading troops."
"Everyone, look," Xiahou Ba stretched out his hands, lighting Xiaoguan with one hand and Chang'an with the other.
“Da Sima threatened to lead a large army to attack Hanzhong from the south. Feng Thief led the army from Xiaoguan in the north. It was obvious that he wanted to contain the Guanzhong army so that Da Sima could not attack Shu with all his strength.
When all the generals heard Xiahou Ba’s explanation, they were all stunned.
Dashima attacked Shu from the southernmost part of Guanzhong, and Feng Thief came from the northernmost part of Guanzhong. The distance between the two ends was the farthest. Feng Thief's move was really insidious.
"The Shu captives took advantage of our unpreparedness in the Wei Dynasty and attacked Longyou, which greatly increased the pressure on Guanzhong. If Qixian, Chencang, Xicheng and other places are the gateways to Guanzhong, then Anding County is the northern barrier of Guanzhong."
The Shu captives sent troops from Xiaoguan and had three directions to go.
The first one is to walk south back to the middle road and arrive at Qixian County.
The second one is to go southeast and reach Wushi County.
The third one is to go east and reach Yuezhi City.
The greatest strategic significance is naturally to go back to the middle road to the south and capture Qixian County.
Once Qianxian County was defeated, the gate from Longyou into Guanzhong was completely opened.
At that time, the Shu captives can advance and attack, and retreat and defend, and the Wei initiative in Guanzhong will be completely lost.
This is the case not only in Qian County, but also in Chencang and Xicheng.
So after the fall of Longguan, these places became heavily guarded by the Wei Dynasty.
"I believe Feng thief dare not go south to attack Qian County." Xiahou Ba said confidently, "Feng thief wants to defeat Qian County. He must first defeat tens of thousands of elite soldiers around Qian County before he can reach Qian County City."
“By that time, not only will reinforcements arrive from Chang’an, but we can also send troops from Anding County to intimidate its flanks.”
"Unless the Shu captives send a large army from Longguan to cooperate, even if the Feng thief manages to escape, he will be defeated."
Over the past two years, both Han and Wei have basically figured out how many troops Longyou, Hanzhong and Guanzhong each have.
In Xiahou Ba's view, the Shu captives wanted to cooperate with both sides to encircle Qian County. Even if all the Shu captives in Longyou were dispatched, the troops would still be barely available.
What's more, Liangzhou has not yet fallen into the hands of the Shu captives, and they still have to leave some troops to guard the west.
"What if the Shu captives go to Wushi City? After all, there is Jingshui River in Wushi City, and the road is much easier than going to Yuezhi City."
Someone raised a question.
“It’s possible, but it’s more likely to come to our Yuezhi City.”
Xiahou Ba nodded:
“Because Wuzhi City is not only taller than Yuezhi City, but also flows down the Jing River, and there is a larger city behind it, Jingyang City (not Jingyang in later generations).”
“They need to defeat two large cities in succession before they can enter Anding County. The Jing River originates not far from Wushi City, flows through Xinping County, and finally joins the Weishui River.”
The so-called Jingwei River is distinct, which means that the Jingshui River and the Weishui River merge. The Jingshui River is turbid and the Weishui River is clear. They are clear and turbid but not muddy, forming a unique landscape. (In later generations, due to environmental damage, the situation is exactly the opposite)
The meeting point of the two currents is near Chang'an.
Even if Feng Yong defeated Wushi City, he would have to conquer Jingyang City again to truly open the door to Anding County.
“As long as the two cities hold off the Shu captives for a few days, Chang’an’s reinforcements can quickly move north along the Jing River to reinforce Linjing.”
Linjing is the county seat of Anding County. As long as Linjing is defended, it is equivalent to guarding Anding.
There are not too few defenders in Anding County. If the situation is urgent in the end and they gather together to confront the Shu captives, the Shu captives may not be able to take advantage.
What's more, the Wei Dynasty has a favorable geographical location and reinforcements from Chang'an.
"But Yuezhi City is different. If Yuezhi City is lost, Linjing, the county seat of Anding County, will be directly exposed to the threat of Shu captives."
Xiahouba said firmly:
“So I think that the most likely way for the Shu captives is to try their best to capture Yuezhi City.”
Once Yuezhi City is defeated, the Shu captives can march directly to the foot of Linjing City. No matter how high the walls and deep ponds are in Wushi County and Jingyang County in front, it is meaningless.
After listening to Xiahou Ba’s analysis, his subordinates all thought it was reasonable and couldn’t help but admire him and said: “Good advice, General!”
“In the general’s opinion, how will Thief Feng act?”
Xia Houba sneered: "There is a saying in the art of war that if you attack something, you must save it. Now Yuezhi City is the place where Anding County must save it. Feng Thief must also know this."
"Even Thief Feng may have guessed that we know this. With a cunning person like Thief Feng, he is afraid that he will play some tricks, so we must be careful."
“For example, use a small number of troops to pretend to attack Wushi City to attract the attention of Linjing Governor Hu, and then repeat the old trick and lead a large army to attack Yuezhi City.”
Feng Yong led the army to break through Longguan two years ago. He first killed Pang Hui, son of Pang De, and then fought against the famous Wei general Zhang He. He became famous in the first battle.
How could Xiahou Ba not pay more attention when he knew that the other party was on the other side of Longshan?
In his view, Feng Yong’s most noteworthy points are three:
First, the men under his command are elite soldiers; second, they are good at running long distances; third, they are accustomed to cutting off people's retreat.
It can be regarded as an extremely difficult opponent. It is no wonder that the Shu captives asked him to lead his troops out of Xiaoguan to contain the great Sima in the south.
“So what we have to do now is to send more scouts to find out where the main force of Feng Thief is!”
"It would be fine if he went elsewhere. If he is as I expected, he will eventually come to Yuezhi City..."
Speaking of this, Xiahou Ba slammed his hand on the map, and his eyes were filled with fighting spirit:
"Then I want to see how powerful this Feng thief, who is called the leader of the younger generation by the Shu captives, is!"
When Jia Wenhe became the Taiwei, he was discussed privately by many people.
But those people basically used Jia Wenhe's virtue to force him, and no one ever dared to raise objections to his strategy.
After all, given Jia Xu's ability to make every plan, some people admit that he had the plans of Zhang Liang and Chen Ping.
So Feng Junhou was called "Xiao Wenhe". The initial meaning was to say that this person was talented but not moral, and had a vicious mind.
However, it also proves from the side that in the eyes of others, Feng Junhou is a man with great strategies.
Coincidentally, in the first year of Jianxing, Jia Wenhe died, and Feng Mingwen happened to become an official.
Coupled with Feng Junhou's various actions in recent years, not only the Shu family suffered a lot.
Xia Houmao almost sold his own head when he sold grain. Zhang He was named a mountain-climbing general, and the uncles and nephews of the Zhang family became collaborators for no apparent reason...
Not to mention participating in the Northern Expedition and leading the army to pacify the counties in Longyou and Liangzhou, etc., which can be regarded as a great military exploit.
Xia Houba regarded Feng Junhou as one of the thieves who caused trouble on the border of Wei Dynasty, but he was not deliberately exaggerating.
So Feng Junhou stationed his troops in Xiaoguan, causing the entire Anding County to be in turmoil, and then he leisurely watched the scenery in Xiaoguan.
As the north gate of Guanzhong, Xiaoguan goes north to the outside of the Great Wall, goes west over Longshan to Longyou, and goes southeast down to Guanzhong.
Xiaoguan is not a single pass. It relies on the Great Wall to the north and then transforms the entire canyon into a complete military defense system.
It is autumn at this time, when the grass in the northern grassland should be yellow and the horses are fat. Unfortunately, the Great Wall stretching across the north blocks Feng Yong's view.
Looking to the south, all the mountains are in sight.
Yellow leaves swirled to the ground, covering them with a thick layer of fallen leaves.
Unnamed mountain fruits are just hanging on the branches, yellow, red, and even purple...
Hand out his hand, he pinched a bunch of small yellow fruits, put one in his mouth and chewed it. It was a little sour and a little numb.
“Ah, why does Alang eat these things randomly?”
Guan Ji saw Feng Yong's mouth moving, and then saw him lifting the fruit high, raising his head and opening his mouth, ready to eat again, and immediately reached out to slap it!
The whole bunch of small fruits scattered into the air, and then fell into the grass, thorns, and under the trees...
Feng Yong opened his mouth to the sky and looked at an empty fruit branch in his hand. Only a mung bean-sized fruit was left hanging around. He didn't come back to his senses for a long time.
I just heard Guan Ji saying in my ear: "Most things in the mountains are poisonous..."
"Tsk!" Feng Junhou glared at Guan Ji angrily, "This fruit is edible. I ate it when I was a kid when I went up the mountain to sweep graves."
"Sweeping graves?" Guan Ji seemed to have learned some extraordinary information and asked curiously, "Alang also went up the mountain to sweep graves when he was a child?"
“Maybe Alang still has ancestors buried in the mountains? Why haven’t you brought my concubine to worship over the years?”
Knowing that this woman was trying to change the subject, she happened to catch the point where she let something slip.
Feng Yong could only say vaguely: "If it's not in Shu, you can't go."
"Oh," Guan Ji nodded, "It seems that he is in Alang's school."
She consciously did not delve into it further.
Zhao Guang, who was next to him, saw Feng Yong bending down to pinch the small red fruits in the thorn bushes again, and couldn't help but remind him:
“Brother, didn’t we come out this time to see the terrain?”
“What’s so interesting about this terrain? Do Cao thieves still dare to attack Xiaoguan at this time?”
Feng Yong carefully picked out the small red fruit, wiped off the small fuzz on the surface, and then put it in his mouth.
Hmm, it’s sour and sweet, much more delicious than the small yellow fruit just now.
“Actually, I’m just looking for an excuse to go out and relax,” he said, bending down to pull something. “Otherwise, I’d be bored in the army all day long!”
When he stood up again, he had a few more small red fruits in his hand, "Xijun, do you want to eat them?"
Guan Ji wanted to refuse, but when she saw the serious look on his face as he carefully blew off the fluff, she immediately changed her mind.
Feng Yong looked at his expression and knew what he meant: "Come on, open your mouth."
Guan Ji glanced at Zhao Guang next to her, seeming a little embarrassed.
“Take people to the front to explore the way!”
Feng Yong glared at Zhao Guang without even blinking!
"oh."
Zhao Guang climbed up in dismay.
With no one around, Feng Yong fed the small red fruit into Guan Ji's mouth: "Is it delicious?"
Although it has a little astringent taste, the sweet and sour taste is very suitable for Guan Ji: "Hey, this tastes pretty good. It seems to be really edible."
Looking at a few red and purple fruits in the innermost part of the thorn bush, Guan Ji pulled out the knife with a clang.
“Swish, swish, swish!”
The mountain thorn bush that Feng Junhou was still trying to protect Xiaohongguo from letting Feng Junhou reach into was suddenly cleared by the Guan family's sword skills.
Guan Ji happily reached out and picked off the ripest fruits.
“Alang, do you want to eat?”
Guan Ji put one in her mouth and at the same time stretched out her hand and handed it to Feng Yong.
“Don’t eat!”
Feng Yong glanced at the chopped-up mountain thorn bushes, his eyes twitched, and he turned around and continued walking toward the top of the mountain.
Violence, it is too violent!
This woman doesn’t understand at all the joy of going up the mountain to pick wild fruits when we were children!
Looking forward, he saw Zhao Guang turning back: "Brother, the top of the mountain is ahead."
“Let’s go up and have a rest for a while.”
Guan Ji walked at the end with a knife in hand, still looking around, as if she hadn't had enough.
“Brother, when will we send out troops?”
"Hurry, when the news spreads throughout Anding and Cao Cao starts to mobilize his troops, it will be a good time for us to send troops."
Feng Yong replied while climbing the mountain, "If Xiahou Ba is really capable of attacking Yuezhi City at night, he should be able to respond within a day or two."
Hearing the name "Xiahou Ba", Zhao Guang gritted his teeth:
“This battle will make Xiahou Ba regret his surprise attack on Yuezhi City!”
Hearing this, Feng Yong laughed happily:
“Xia Houyuan died at the hands of General Huang. Now you have married General Huang’s daughter. He made you lose your title as a general, and now you want revenge.”
“I wonder if the two of you are born to be enemies.”
Guan Ji, who was walking at the end, couldn't help but be a little confused when she heard her Alang mention this Xiahou Ba again and again:
"The Hu family in Linjing can be regarded as a county commander. Now that Hu Zun is the prefect of Anding County, I'm afraid that the Hu family will do their best to protect Anding."
"I don't value Hu Zun when I look at Alang, but instead value Xiahou Ba, whose reputation is unknown. Why is this?"
Feng Yong said calmly as he walked up:
"The Hu family can be considered a big family in Guanzhong, but compared with the Guandong family, they are only second or third-rate, and almost the same as the Shuzhong family."
“Have the Xinghan Society not had much contact with Shuzhong’s aristocratic families over the years?”
Even the Li family, one of the best in Shu, had their clan dismembered and even their legitimate daughters became their concubines. What was there to be afraid of?
"Although Xiahou Ba's reputation is not obvious, what reputation does Hu Zun have? He just took the name of the Hu family in Linjing and was appointed as the prefect of Anding County."
"In my opinion, Cao Zhen placed these two people in Anding, obviously with Hu Zun as the prefect, but in fact, I am afraid that Xiahou Ba is the real person in charge."
Finally climbed to the top of the mountain, and Feng Yong sat down on the rock.
"Although Yuezhi City is not big, and the only people Yang Tiao had at hand at that time were clan soldiers, it was natural for Xiahou Ba to lead his elite troops to attack and defeat it."
“But what I saw was his way of attacking the city wrapped in wool on a snowy night. This was something no one had done before. It can be seen that this man was not only courageous, but also thoughtful in using his troops.”
A few people were talking at the top of the mountain when they suddenly saw a person from the dark night battalion in charge of security leading up the mountain.
"Your Majesty, in the past few days, the bandits led by Hu Zun have been staying in Linjing and have not left even half a step."
After seeing the ceremony, the visitor reported what happened to Hu Zun, the governor of Anding, in the past few days.
When Feng Yong heard this, he laughed: "I can't move, and the enemy can't move. It seems that Xiahou Ba and Hu Zun have figured out that I am planning to divert the tiger away from the mountain."
He stood up and beat his legs, "It seems like we can't rest anymore. Let's go back to Guancheng!"
The group returned to Xiaoguan, and Feng Yong immediately summoned all the military generals to hold a military meeting.
"From now on, Modao Camp, Wudang Camp, and Engineering Camp will all return to General Guan for orders. I will grant General Guan a commanding sword. Anyone who dares to disobey military orders will be beheaded!"
Feng Yong held the handsome sword and handed it to Guan Ji with his own hands.
Zhang Yi, Jufu, Wenshi and others all clasped their fists and saluted: "Nuo!"
The next day, drums were beating loudly in the canyon where Xiaoguan was located, and people screamed. Feng Yong and Guan Ji each led an army out of Xiaoguan and went their separate ways, officially kicking off the War of Stabilization.
(End of this chapter)