Chapter 998 It’s always with me and not with the enemy
“Report!”
"speak."
“General, the former army destroyed a stronghold and captured more than 500 rebels. I would like to ask the general what to do with them?”
“Hmm? Rioters?”
Jiang Jihun, who was standing on the mountain road watching the terrain, said nonchalantly, "Incorporate into the civil service, and then..." when we get to Hedong..."
Just in the middle of what he said, he suddenly stopped and turned his head sharply: "Rogue people?"
Where did the rioters come from in Zhiguanxing?
Since ancient times, Zhiguanxing has been the most convenient passage from Hanoi to Hedong.
During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, why did Qin and Zhao, with all their might, fight the Battle of Changping?
It was because the Qin State controlled Zhiguanxing, and then attacked Hanoi through Zhiguanxing, cutting off the connection between Shangdang and South Korea.
If Shangdang falls into the hands of Qin, Zhao's capital, Handan (north of Yecheng), will be directly exposed to the threat of the Qin army.
It can be said that controlling Zhiguanxing can not only control the connection between Hanoi and Hedong, but also affect the ancient Xiaohan Road - that is, the connection between Luoyang and Chang'an.
The importance of this mountain road can be imagined.
Although Hanoi and Hedong have not been threatened by foreign enemies in recent years, there has been a little more civil unrest within the Wei Dynasty - especially in the land of three rivers, such as the land of three rivers.
So there were originally garrisons at both ends of Zhiguanxing to ensure the smooth flow of the pass.
There are no garrison troops on the east side of Zhiguandao Hedong. They are probably transferred to guard against Shu captives.
The key question is, how long did the defenders leave before chaos broke out on the pass?
As soon as Jiang Ji thought about this, he suddenly felt that something was not right.
“Have someone bring the leader of the rioters up.”
“Go back to the general, the leader...has been killed.”
"Kill?" Jiang Ji was slightly startled, but he nodded without any surprise, "Then pick a few random people who are familiar with the situation."
Whether the leader of the rebellion was killed before quelling the rebellion or after quelling the rebellion, it did not matter to Jiang Ji.
Sooner or later he will be killed anyway.
After a while, several rioters in tattered clothes and covered with yellow mud were brought to Jiang Ji.
He watched Jiang Ji glance at the cowering mob and asked:
“Where are you from?”
A few people dared not speak.
The Wei soldier next to him made a clang sound and half-sheathed his sword:
“The general asked, why didn’t you answer?”
As he spoke, he hit someone on the back with a scabbard.
The man staggered a step, with a look of horror on his face:
“Little man, little man, little man is from Wenxi County, Hedong…”
"Wen Xi?" Jiang Ji's eyes flashed, "Then why are you occupying the mountain here and creating chaos?"
"Yes, it's Master Wang..." As soon as the man said it, his face turned pale, his legs softened, and he knelt on the ground, "No, the villain said wrong, it's a Shu captive."
"Shu captives?" Jiang Ji's expression changed, "Have Shu captives arrived to hear the news?"
He hurried along slowly and hurriedly, led his elite troops to double the route, and left the big army behind, just to pass Zhiguanxing quickly.
The best course is to block the Guanjuejin Valley before the Shu captives enter Pingyang County.
As long as the Shu captives cannot cross Guanjuejin Valley, they will have to withdraw from Bingzhou sooner or later.
At that time, there is no need to pursue them. Whether the Shu captives can return to Liangzhou from the desert is still a question.
At the worst, he could reach Jiangyi one step ahead of the Shu captives, rely on the water to resist the Shu captives, and prevent them from entering the east of the river.
Who would have thought that before I left Zhiguanxing, I would suddenly hear the news about the Shu captives.
“I’ve passed, I’ve passed Wenxi and went to Anyi.”
"What!" Jiang Ji lost his voice, "How could it be so fast? Did the Shu captives attack Wenxi City?"
Are the defenders of Pingyang and Hedong counties all dead?
“No, it was the Shu captives who heard the news and surrendered, and the Shu captives forced the farmers to harvest grain from the fields.”
“Some rebels took the opportunity to attack various villages, and now we hear the news and there are rebels everywhere…”
The rambling words of the rioters shocked Jiang Ji, and his face suddenly turned pale.
But seeing his body swaying, he couldn't help but said: "I have always known that Feng Thief's subordinates are good at running and attacking, but I didn't expect them to be so fast. I miscalculated this time!"
From Taiyuan to Wenxi, there are strong cities and dangerous passes.
From Hanoi to Hedong, it is only Zhiguanxing.
Unexpectedly, Shulu's speed was much faster than his own.
Remembering that Wen Xi actually opened the city gate and surrendered the Shu captives, Jiang Ji couldn't help being frightened and angry.
how come?
how come?
How dare you!
“Anyone who descends from the east of Pingyang River must be killed!”
Once the Shu captives pass Wenxi County, their own supporting army will no longer have any significance in reinforcing them.
I even have to consider the possibility that the Shu captives are waiting for work in the east of the river and may lay an ambush for my supporting army.
As soon as the thought came to his mind, Jiang Ji was suddenly covered in cold sweat. He subconsciously shouted loudly:
“Let the front army stop immediately!”
“No!”
“Also, let them send more exploration horses, especially in the direction of Wenxi, and report back immediately if there is any news!”
He was leading the army in a hurry all the way, because the marching speed was too fast, and in addition, it was walking in the valley, and sometimes the scouting horses had no time to find out the situation.
Unexpectedly, Wenxi had fallen into the hands of Shu captives. If it weren't for these rogue people, the consequences would have been unimaginable.
Thinking of this, Jiang Ji couldn't help but feel happy and scared at the same time.
Apart from being frightened, lingering doubts arose in his heart:
Logically speaking, Guanzhong should have reacted faster than Luoyang. Now that the Shu captives have entered Hedong so easily, could it be that even the Guanzhong reinforcements have been defeated?
Or...didn’t come at all?
With all kinds of doubts, Jiang Ji did not dare to enter Hedong easily before he found out the situation.
Feng Jishi, who quietly led his army to stay in Linfen for three days, learned that the Wei army that had emerged from Zhi Guanxing actually retreated again.
He couldn’t help but smacked his lips and said with some disappointment:
“I thought I could eat up the reinforcements coming from Hanoi, but I didn’t expect that the leader of the army was not only cautious in using his troops, but also looked quite sophisticated.”
At this time, General Guan had already led his army through Anyi, and his own army stayed in Linfen.
The large area from Linfen to Anyi is full of war and chaos. It is difficult to find out the news.
More importantly, as long as the opponent leaves Zhiguanxing and reoccupies Wenxi County, it can cut off General Guan's retreat.
If General Guan cannot cross the river in a short period of time, he will have no choice but to go upstream to Pingyang County.
For the generals of the Wei State, recovering Hedong means ensuring the connection between Guanzhong and Guandong, which can be said to be a great contribution to reversing the war situation in Guanzhong.
Facing such a huge temptation, the other party actually retreated instead of advancing and retreated directly to Zhi Guanxing, which shows his acumen.
“Your Majesty, what should we do?”
Yang Qianwan, who was following Governor Feng, heard this and couldn't help but asked a little depressedly.
Failing to capture the army of Wei thieves inside Zhi Guanxing means that we have wasted three days here.
"There's no need to worry, the time is with me and not with him." Governor Feng smiled calmly, "If the enemy doesn't move, I won't move. I want to see whether he wants to leave Zhi Pass or stay at Zhi Pass."
Judging from the current intelligence, Sima Yi is most likely planning to defend west of the river and prevent himself from crossing the river.
Similarly, if the Wei army retreats to Zhiguan and defends the pass, it will be a better response - this is from a military point of view.
But don’t forget that military is a continuation of politics—no matter how good military actions are, they must serve politics.
If the political strategic failure cannot be reversed, no matter how successful the military operation is, it will still be a failure.
Abandoning Bingzhou, Pingyang County and Hedong County in Sizhou means that Hebei and Luoyang are always under the threat of the Han Dynasty.
Not to mention that Guanzhong is completely undefendable in this situation.
They all say that the place with four fortresses in Guanzhong is a golden city thousands of miles away.
Now that Xiao Pass in Longshan has been lost, one hundred thousand Han troops have left Hanzhong. If the Han troops gain a foothold in the east of the river again, the land with four fortresses will be leaked from all sides.
That means that Guanzhong will be abandoned sooner or later.
As long as Cao Rui was not "wise", he would not have allowed this to happen.
So Governor Feng was not in a hurry at all.
Even if he has to celebrate the New Year in Hedong, he doesn’t have to worry—Hedong is full of big dog owners, so why should he worry about food and grass?
As the largest farmland in the east of Hedong, Anyi City was just a granary that he temporarily let those big dogs take care of.
In any case, the current economic foundation of the Han Dynasty has become increasingly incompatible with the aristocratic families of the Central Plains.
The powerful families of the Central Plains who controlled a huge population and land were not only a thorn in the side of the Han nouveau riche, but also a piece of fat.
As the leading representative of the upstarts, Feng Huishou couldn't care less about what kind of chaos Hedong would end up in - maybe the worse it would be, the better.
Feng Jishi protected General Guan's retreat in Linfen, and at the same time he wanted to kill the Wei army that emerged from Guanxing in Zhi.
General Guan, on the other hand, led the army straight towards Pubanjin without any scruples.
He learned that General Guan had come to the riverside to check the enemy's situation without stopping. Liu Hun, who went to the riverside to conduct reconnaissance in advance, hurriedly went to pay homage: "General."
Hold up the telescope to observe General Guan on the opposite side, and asked calmly: "How is the situation now?"
Liu Hun has been along the river these days, constantly making inquiries and collecting information about the enemy. When he heard General Guan's question, he quickly replied:
“Back to the general, I have inquired about the Wei thieves in Guanzhong. They have been guarding the west bank and have never tried to cross the river to rescue the east.”
“Is there any news from Longmen Ferry up there?”
“Not yet, but the general has sent a group of troops to go north along the river to check and see if they can make contact.”
General Guan nodded.
Liu Hun's ability is indeed good.
In other words, a general who has the ability to lead a single battalion of troops in the Liangzhou Army is not too bad.
“Try to cross the river?”
"I tried it." Liu Hun shook his head, "The thief on the other side is not a simple person. There are patrols on patrol up and down the ferry."
"At the same time, beacons were built every few miles. Once there was a police officer, beacons would be lit, and the defense was extremely tight."
Hearing this, General Guan couldn't help but frown and murmured: "Sima Yi..."
“Why didn’t Sima Yi send reinforcements across the river? Why! Why didn’t he save Hedong?”
In the west hall of Taiji Hall, Cao Rui smashed the military report Jiang Jigang had just sent at the foot of the stairs, with an angry look on his face:
"There are more than 200,000 troops in Guanzhong, but the Ge bandits are only 100,000, twice as many as the Shu bandits. It's just that they don't dare to take the initiative to attack."
“He actually sat back and watched the Shu captives enter Hedong. What does he want to do?”
Possibly because he was too angry, Cao Rui's face turned an unhealthy color, and his chest was obviously rising and falling violently:
“I even issued three edicts but couldn’t move him. What does he want to do? What does he want to do?”
Shang Shulang Lian Zhao, who was standing next to him, turned pale with fright. At that moment, he did not care about overstepping his bounds, and repeatedly whispered admonitions: "Your Majesty, your Majesty, be careful what you say, Your Majesty!"
Hearing this, Cao Rui added fuel to the fire and became furious:
"The Shu captives are riding on my head, and I can't move them. Do I have to look at Guanzhong's face even if I curse him in my own palace?"
His name is Cao Rui, not Cao Chi!
In fact, after the Shu captives arrived at Jinyang City, Guanzhong received the news a little faster than Luoyang.
And now, the army led by Jiang Ji has almost reached Zhiguanxing, and the reinforcements from Guanzhong have not yet reached Hedong. Doesn't this mean he is regarded as an idiot?
In order to defend Guanzhong, he gave Sima Yi great autonomy over the years, not only to recruit troops independently, but also to raise food independently.
And here in Luoyang, I am dispatching troops and sending food.
Unexpectedly, what happened in exchange was such a situation...
Cao Rui's teeth chattered loudly, and all the blood in his body seemed to rush to his head, making his eyesight turn black.
At this time, there were rapid footsteps outside the hall, and someone trotted in through the small yellow door:
“Your Majesty, Liu Zhongshu and Sun Zhongshu have something urgent to ask to see your Majesty.”
Cao Rui sat down next to the case, closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths, and then said:
“Let them in.”
Liu Fang and Sun Zi, who were jointly in charge of the Ministry of Education, were summoned. When they came in, they didn't care about their manners and said in a hurry:
"Your Majesty, something serious has happened. Urgent reports have come from Hefei and Jingzhou that the Wu invaders have sent troops to invade the north!"
"What!" Although he had expected that Sun Quan would invade the north sooner or later, Cao Rui suddenly received the news at this time. He was still shocked and angry, "How dare you, Wu thief!"
He held down the desk and tried to use his strength to stand up. Unexpectedly, another burst of gold stars flashed in front of his eyes. He swayed a few times and had no choice but to sit back:
“What is the strength of the Wu invaders? Where do they come from?”
"Sun Quan has led his army into the mouth of Chaohu and is heading for the new city of Hefei, with a force of 100,000. He has sent generals Lu Xun and Zhuge Jin to the west to Jiangxia, with a force of 50,000; and to the east, he has sent Sun Shao and Zhang Cheng to the Huaihe River to invade Xuzhou, with a force of 50,000. "
"The total number of Shu captives who broke into the pass this time is no less than 150,000, and the Wu pirates are also named 200,000. It can be said that they are all coming from the whole country, **** ho..."
Cao Rui smiled miserably, "The Wei Dynasty has an army of 500,000, but it is no match for the two thieves and is exhausted. I am ashamed of Emperor Wu and Emperor Wen!"
Cao Rui smiled as he spoke, his voice sounding like the cry of a night owl, tears welling up like a fountain, and he coughed several times.
Possibly his weak body couldn't bear such a big emotional swing, so he suddenly fell headlong on the desk.
“Your Majesty, Your Majesty!”
“No, His Majesty fainted!”
“Quick, call the doctor!”
After a period of chaos, Cao Rui was carried into the palace, but Liu Fang and Sun Zi were blocked from the palace gate.
The two of them had no choice but to turn back to Zhongshu Province when they suddenly saw Cao Zhao, the captain of the Cavalry School, walking in a hurry and being put directly into the palace by the guards at the palace gate.
Liu Fang and Sun Zi were both shocked and looked at each other.
(End of this chapter)