Du Xi asked: "Jun Yi has been in battle for a long time, so his analysis should be good, but where should we retreat?"
Zhang He looked up at the sky and estimated that it would be dusk soon. He replied with a serious expression: "We have to seize the time to cross the Mianshui River. It is getting late and it is too late to go to Nanzheng. Why not return to Yangping Pass to meet General Guo?"
"Good." Du Xi nodded.
Zhang He and Du Xi led their men to retreat to Mianshui River while fighting. The Yizhou soldiers at Dingjun Mountain were like fierce tigers descending the mountain, pursuing the victory. The battle lasted from afternoon until late at night, and did not stop until Cao Jun crossed the Mianshui River in embarrassment.
The battlefield was counted the next day, and it was found that more than 7,000 of Cao's troops had been killed so far. In addition to the soldiers who were driven to Mianshui River and drowned, more than half of the 40,000 soldiers led by Xiahou Yuan were damaged in the battle of Dingjun Mountain.
Liu Bei looked at Xia Houyuan's body and encouraged the hero Huang Zhong: "Bei keeps his word. General Huang kills Xia Houyuan. You will be the new general who conquers the west. You will be collected from Hanzhong to have official seals and robes made, and of course the wealth, silk, land, etc." reward."
"Thank you so much, my lord, I can't avenge the death of my general." Huang Zhong was very excited.
Huang Zhong is now seventy years old. He was able to kill generals and be promoted to generals in his old age. He not only honored his ancestors, but also left a mark on famous generals in ancient and modern times.
Liu Bei then said to the others: "Everyone should work together as one. When the land of Hanchuan is recovered, the capital will reward you for your merits."
"Wei." The generals clasped their fists in response.
Huang Zhong was promoted to General of the Expedition to the West, his position in the army directly surpassed that of Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei was ranked below Ma Chao. The reason Liu Bei decided on the position verbally was because he planned to discuss it with Zhuge Liang and others after the Battle of Hanzhong.
Awarding officers and titles is also a technical job. The last time Liu Bei promoted Pound based on his personal preference, he was immediately dissatisfied by the Yizhou generals. Liu Bei, who had suffered losses before, would not be fooled again. At this time, he threw General Zhengxi out to ask for advice. In addition to motivating others to fight bravely, there are also ideas that lead to conflicts among various factions.
After Liu Bei's inspiring words ended, all the generals gathered around Huang Zhong to congratulate him. Huang Zhong killed a strong man like Xia Houyuan at such an advanced age, and those who were jealous in their hearts did not dare to show it on their faces.
It was already the end of the year. Liu Bei looked at the slowly flowing Mianshui River and asked Pang Tong and Fazheng: "Xia Houyuan was defeated and died. Zhang He led the remnants of his troops to flee to Yangping Pass. Where did the two military advisors think they should go next? March into the army?"
"Xia Houyuan left more than 10,000 defenders for Guo Huai at Yangping Pass. Including Zhang He's defeated troops, there should be 30,000 more. According to the information brought back by Captain Song from Nanzheng, Xu Huang only had more than 10,000 troops there," Fazheng analyzed. .
Liu Bei nodded, "There are still 60,000 troops in Dingjun Mountain. Cao Jun's newly defeated troops have no intention of fighting. Should we focus on attacking Yangping Pass or Nanzheng, or should we divide our troops and attack both ends at the same time?"
Pang Tong shook his head: "The cities of Nanzheng and Yangpingguan are both strong and difficult to attack. Cao's army is now in a weak position and will not easily go to war. If we attack by force and it will be difficult to attack in a short time, it is definitely unwise to divide our troops.
In addition, Xia Houyuan died in the battle at Dingjun Mountain. I predict that Cao Cao will definitely leave Chang'an and come to Hanzhong in person. We must be prepared for a tough battle. I suggest we feint attack Yangping Pass or Nanzheng first."
Liu Bei frowned and his eyes were firm. He drew his sword and pointed at the Mianshui in front of him and said: "I am bound to win the land of Hanchuan. Even if Cao Cao comes in person, he can't change my mind. Now it is no longer the situation in Xuzhou in the past. He has The ministers who make plans, the generals who are accustomed to fighting, are well prepared, and you are stronger."
When Pang Tong and Fazheng heard Liu Bei praising him in person, they felt warm in their hearts. They sighed that it was not easy to have such a lord, and they all bowed and saluted Liu Bei.
"My lord, what Shi Yuan said is absolutely correct. Now the remaining troops in Hanzhong are all in mourning. Even if we attack by force, we will have to pay a huge price. I also suggest that we pretend to attack Yangping Pass first and wait until Cao Cao's main force enters Hanzhong to support us. Then we will be able to attack
Win." Fa Zheng suggested with a hand.
Liu Bei looked puzzled: "I can understand not attacking Nanzheng. After all, if our grain road extends eastward, it will not only be easily harassed by Cao's army, but the transportation losses will also increase. But why wait for Cao Cao to increase his troops? No.
Should we seize Yangping Pass before the main force arrives?"
Fazheng stretched out three fingers and gestured: "There are three reasons. First, although the road is difficult to travel in winter and Baoxie Road is always in danger of wind, frost, rain and snow, Cao Cao will definitely be able to reach it in the rest of the month. We may not be able to win during this period.
Yangping Pass; secondly, although Cao Hong, the military capital, was restrained by the two generals Zhang and Ma, it is not ruled out that they would come to rescue him at all costs; thirdly, even if Yangping Pass could be captured during this period, Cao Cao's retreat to Nanzheng Tu would be detrimental to him.
Our army is at a disadvantage."
Liu Bei understood the first two points, but the third point was unclear. How could it be disadvantageous to take Yangping Pass?
"Xiao Zhi, if you want to be more detailed, why is it disadvantageous for the army to capture Yangping Pass?" Liu Bei asked for advice.
Fa Zheng used his sword to draw on the sand, roughly marking the locations of Yangping Pass, Dingjun Mountain, and Nanzheng. Pointing to the location of Yangping Pass, he explained: "If Cao Cao increases his troops to capture Yangping, Dingjun Mountain behind him will inevitably
If we want to give up, we can win against Cao Cao head-on, but the other side retreats to Nanzheng to stalemate. If we can't win, we can only stick to Yangping. After years of preparation, we can only win one pass. How can we be willing to accept it?"
"Go on." Liu Bei frowned.
"If Cao Cao defeats Yangping, my lord will definitely continue to attack Nanzheng. However, our supply line has been extended, and the Mianshui area from Yangping Pass to Nanzheng has become a dangerous point for Cao's army to invade and rob food." Fa Zheng frowned.
Liu Bei looked at Mianshui in front of him and seemed to understand a little. He continued to ask: "If Yang Ping cannot defeat Cao Cao, what will happen then?"
Fazheng shook his head and smiled bitterly: "The Golden Bull Road is 1,500 miles long. If we confront Cao Cao at Yangping Pass, how can we defeat them? At that time, we can only expect that a rebellion will break out in the Central Plains, and Cao Cao will return to the army to eliminate the rebels in the Central Plains.
Thief, otherwise it would be difficult to have a chance to capture Hanzhong..."
"Listen to what Xiaozhi said, do you still have to wait for an opportunity to capture Hanzhong?" Liu Bei suddenly felt that there was little hope.
Pang Tong then spoke up and said: "I have carefully discussed with Xiaozhi. If we want to defeat Cao Cao in Hanzhong, we must still use Dingjun Mountain as our camp and give up the useless Yangping Pass to Cao Cao. In this way, his supply line in Mianshui will become
At our attack point, the total strength of Cao's army will definitely exceed ours, so once the grain road is attacked, the consequences will be even more dangerous."
"What the military advisor said was that Cao Cao transported grain from the Bao River in Guanzhong, and then merged into the Mian River to the west to reach Yangping Pass. But he could have taken the wider Chencang Road to the west. What would he do then?" Liu Bei frowned.
Pang Tong smiled slightly and said: "Although Chencang Road is not within the attack range of our army, my lord, please don't forget Yide hidden in Wudu. Moreover, if you take Chencang Road, the distance will be hundreds of miles, and the loss of food and grass will be greater than if you take Baoxie Road.
Chapter completed!