If Taihang Mountain is like a dragon, then Wangwu Mountain is a leg stretched out by this dragon, and then Zhongtiao Mountain is a snake caught on this leg. One end is wrapped around Wangwu Mountain, and the other end reaches into the river, and is connected with Tongguan Mountain.
Looking at each other.
It is precisely the strength of Zhongtiao Mountain that forces the river to turn here.
Unlike Taihang, Qinling and other behemoths, Zhongtiao Mountain and Wangwu Mountain are not so insurmountable. This is why Wei Yan has never placed the main battlefields on Zhongtiao Mountain and Wangwu Mountain.
His battlefield should be in the Taihang Mountains.
Just when many people thought that Wei Yan would be staring at the chrysanthemums of classmate Lao Cao in Shaanjin, Wei Yan had already led his people into the Taihang Mountains.
Climbing over mountains and ridges is what Wei Yan and others are good at.
Although Wei Yan and others had never been to the Taihang Mountains, under the leadership of a few old black bandits, they were like a tiger returning to the mountains and a dragon returning to the sea, and they did not feel unfamiliar at all.
That's right, old Black Bandit.
For example, Curly Hair, the commander who belonged to Zhang Yan back then...
Among the commanders of Montenegro, too many people have died, and not many have survived. Curly Hair is one of the lucky ones. Curly Hair also has a famous name, but when he arrived in the Taihang Mountains, he suddenly felt
It seems that I have become the young and ignorant young man I once was.
"There used to be a mountain spring here..." Curly Hair pointed to the mountain ridge not far ahead and said with a nostalgic smile on his face, "There was a forest beside the mountain spring... There used to be a lot of mountain rats in the forest.
He likes to hide fruits in holes. When we didn’t have food, we went to dig out the mountain rat’s hole... Hehehe, the mountain rat was so anxious that he jumped up and down in the canopy and scolded us..."
Wei Yan laughed and waved his arms, "Let's go! Let's go over there first and find out what good things those mountain rats have hidden! Take them out to give the brothers something to talk about!"
Wei Yan's mountain soldiers also laughed, separated into a group of people, and went in the direction pointed by Curly Hair.
When Curly Hair returned to Taihang Mountain, it was as if he had returned home again, a little less vulgar and a little more indifferent, while the mountain soldiers were like guests who didn't know how to write the word polite, and simply regarded other people's homes as their own.
own home...
Some time ago, both Cao Cao and Cao Xiu believed that Wei Yan would definitely be in Shaanjin, because Shaanjin was an important node for Cao Cao's water transportation of grain and grass. As long as Cao Cao's army could not destroy Wei Yan's ships traveling back and forth, then there would be no
The threat of possibly pulling out Shaanjin.
Cao Cao and Cao Xiu tried to set up an ambush on the river bank, setting up catapults and other equipment to ambush Wei Yan's warships. They also used grain and grass transport teams to lure Wei Yan to attack, but Wei Yan remained motionless, which made Cao Cao and Cao Xiu, especially Cao Xiu,
Somewhat restless, but helpless.
Everything is subject to change...
Cao Xiu was not familiar with Wei Yan. Therefore, Cao Xiu could not make many targeted strategies. He could only set up traps based on old intelligence. Because whether it was to ambush the grain transport team or preset the catapult, they were all at fixed points, and
Wei Yan's ships were active or even hidden. If Wei Yan did not appear, then Cao Xiu had no other option but to directly attack Shaanxi and Jin.
But the problem is that if they really want to attack Shaanxi and Tianjin, Cao Jun does not have enough warships.
Who would have thought that such a broken channel as the big river could actually be used to sail warships?
It was obviously too late to build it temporarily, but the bait was laid and Wei Yan did not take the bait. Cao Xiu felt very uncomfortable now...
What made Cao Xiu even more angry was not that Wei Yan stood still, but that he had spent several days trying but could not find enough warships. Without enough ships, he could not cross a large number of soldiers at the same time, let alone have an impact on Wei Yan.
It was enough of a threat. Sending a few hundred people to the other side of the river was tantamount to sending these people there to be killed by Wei Yan, and by the way, they also sent these boats that were finally collected.
The lack of large ships became Cao Xiu's biggest headache. Cao Xiu could only watch Wei Yan's warships disappear and appear, and watch the military strongholds in Shaanxi and Jin become increasingly reinforced and raised.
It was built to look like a huge military fortress.
What Cao Xiu didn't know was that after the beacon signal was raised in Tongguan, Wei Yan had actually escaped from his shell and reached the Taihang Mountains, preparing to teach the people of Jizhou a lesson.
It’s not just cavalry that can break through defenses…
Tigers in the mountains and forests are also deadly.
…
…
The reason why people can run towards the light is because they still have hope in their hearts.
Those who have no hope can only go to darkness.
Home may be the most ordinary and most extraordinary place of hope.
Yecheng was once the "home" of the Yuan family, and now it has become the "home" of the Cao family.
Nowadays, the city of Ye is heavily guarded.
The howling north wind seemed to be carrying blades, cutting on the city wall and tearing the flags, as if it was trying to cut and tear the flags of the Cao family or the Han Dynasty from the city wall, and then throw them into the mud and dust below the city.
.
The soldiers of Cao's army who were on duty on the city wall had heavy faces, completely losing their usual arrogance. I don't know whether it was because of the cold weather and the wind, or some other reasons. Anyway, they all had straight faces, as if
It's like being owed tens of millions.
It is not easy for someone to get a position in Yecheng, even a small soldier or even a commander. Just like the hereditary township chief or block chief of the later generations of Emperor Mi, it is impossible to sit firmly without some Taoism. Although on the surface, Cao Jun seems to be
The attack on the city and the territory was very powerful, but in fact, the transport civilians and disabled soldiers who returned from Tongguan brought another aspect of news...
Prime Minister Cao had a large army, but he could not advance even an inch under Tongguan.
This is not good news.
Big man, there has been no good news for too long.
In the early years, when the Xiqiang rebelled, Xiliang was lost, and people in Shandong didn't care too much.
Later, the Xianbei Xiongnu appeared in the North to harass and plunder. The North also became useless, so it was easy to throw it away. The people of Shandong did not feel too sorry.
Later, problems arose in Heluo and Dong Zhuo was in turmoil. He even moved the people of Heluo to Chang'an. People in Shandong were also watching. Anyway, it was the people of Heluo who suffered. What does it matter to me, Shandong?
Then suddenly, I discovered that Shandong was the only one left in Shandong. The tall men in Jizhou, Yuzhou and other places stretched their heads and took a look, and found that all they had left was their heads and stomachs, and all their arms and legs were gone!
Yongzhou, Liangzhou, Bingzhou, Beidi, and the more distant Sichuan, Shu and Western Regions have all lost control. The Han Dynasty now only has the Central Plains region left, like a ball or a piece of meat.
The arms and legs of the big man were now holding the knife and the stick, about to stab...
Or there's a banquet.
For Shandong people in places like Hebei and Henan, who consider themselves to be the first class Han people, this is a piece of bad news that is unacceptable but has to be faced.
Especially when it was discovered that Cao Cao had assembled such a force and was unable to quickly clear away the hidden dangers and get rid of the bad news, this uneasiness and panic naturally spread out and could not be stopped.
The Han Dynasty belongs to everyone in the Han Dynasty, and the country of the Han Dynasty belongs to the rulers of the Han Dynasty. Originally, the rulers of the Han Dynasty only wanted the sweetness of the Han Dynasty, not the bitterness of the Han Dynasty, but now they find that their sweetness is about to end!
what to do?
Cao Pi, neatly dressed, sat under the canopy.
He displayed half the ceremonial guard of a prime minister.
This is obviously an overstep.
But the people around him, whether it was Cui Yan or Chen Qun, could not see any strange expressions on their faces. It seemed that this was normal, and Cao Pi seemed to already have enough titles.
Of course, this can also be regarded as an advance preview, or a display of confidence. After all, if Cao Cao wins this battle, then as Cao Cao, he is already close to the top of the courtiers and has no title, so the reward to Cao Pi will be
It became a matter of course.
From a certain point of view, if Cao Cao can win this time, then further conferring the king will become a well-known and popular thing, so there seems to be no problem with Cao Pi's use of ceremonial guards now.
Cao Pi also looked at Cui Yan and Chen Qun sitting on the left and right as calmly as possible, and asked with some special calmness: "What do you two have in mind?"
As an important successor who stayed behind, Cao Pi did have some authority in his hands.
Although he cannot directly mobilize large troops or anything like that, there are some things that he can endorse to determine their effectiveness. Now that he has come to Yecheng, it is naturally because Jizhou is unstable and he needs to be in charge.
Although it was said before that Shandong had temporarily formed a unified front to jointly fight Fei Qian, the word "temporary" can actually be long or short, hard or soft, and has endless uses...
Shandong people advocate loyalty, justice and benevolence. If the Han Dynasty needs it, Shandong people are willing to abandon everything and give everything, even if they have to go up the mountain of swords and the sea of fire. This is the self-promotion and self-flaunt of the Shandong people.
But now when Shandong people need to make more efforts, Shandong people are hesitant, because winter is coming, spring is coming, and Cao Cao has not yet determined the victory, and then what to do with the next spring plowing? Shandong people don’t have it.
There is such a thing as "everything", and "Mountain of Swords" and "Sea of Fire" are not seen in daily life, so of course Shandong people do not need to give everything away. They really have to climb the mountain of swords and go down to the sea of fire, but Shandong people have acres of land.
There are tenant farmers. Seeing that the New Year is here, Zhuang He can't delay...
Of course, this does not mean that Shandong people are dishonest and lie, but that Shandong people have their own opinions and seek truth from facts, right?
Chen Qun's eyebrows were as still as a mountain. Facing Cao Pi's news, his voice was neither urgent nor slow, "Your Majesty, Guanzhong is condescending and bears the brunt of Jizhou and Yuzhou. You must not fall into the hands of others. If you can get Longyou again, you will be better."
In the land of horses, the Han Dynasty can control the north, south, east and west... Ni Fei occupied Guanzhong and peeked into the Central Plains. His disobedience is clear. We have an alliance with Jiangdong. We should work together to seize Guanzhong and annex Longyou... Lord
We are now in Tongguan, only one step away from Guanzhong... Moreover, Jingxiang has newly won Wancheng, and its morale is at a high level. It can advance into Wuguan and take Lantian... Therefore, it is necessary to fight without hesitation and succeed one after another, so as not to ruin the achievements of the past.
Yu Danxi is also..."
Cui Yan's eyebrows moved slightly but he didn't say a word.
Cao Pi nodded.
Chen Qun's words were of course what Cao Pi wanted to hear, so Cao Pi asked: "What the long article said is true... but is there any good strategy to implement it?"
Chen Qun bowed slightly and said, "Now that we are allied with Jiangdong, we can send an envoy to Jiangdong to encourage the Sun family to go up the river to attack Sichuan and Shu. This will make it difficult for the hussars to travel north and south, which will also facilitate our army's westward advance."
Cao Pi laughed and said, "This strategy is too slow."
Chen Qun still bowed his head and said, "My lord, taking Guanzhong is a plan for the world. He is worried about the great Han Dynasty. Therefore, he is blocked in Guanzhong and fighting on multiple fronts. The current standing force is stretched. The only way is to recruit more troops to fight on multiple fronts."
Used for emergencies.』
Cao Pi nodded and said: "What the long article said is true. However, the water in the East China Sea is difficult to save, and it will take some time to recruit troops. Waiting for the envoys to be mobilized is not what I want. Is there any way to help the soldiers on the front line?
?』
"That's true..." Chen Qun glanced at Cui Yan slightly, "The New Year is here, and our soldiers will inevitably feel homesick. If we can requisition some grain and grass utensils from our hometown at this time to work for the army, it will naturally boost morale.
Inspire the generals..."
"Good!" Cao Pi said, stroking his palms, "This matter will require a long article!"
Chen Qun bowed his head and accepted the order, "Wei."
Cao Pi then turned towards Cui Yan and said, "Ji Gui, what are your opinions on the war in Guanzhong?"
"I dare not. I am stupid. But since the prince has inquired, I must be sincere..." Cui Yan slightly cupped his hands and said, "Today Fei is in Guanzhong, intending to follow the example of the great ancestor, and it is the opposite, so it has to be eliminated. However, Ji Yu
This land is also the foundation of our great Han Dynasty, and we cannot lose it even for a moment. I have some shallow opinions, and I hope that the prince can learn from it..."
Cao Pi hummed.
He invited Cui Yan to come, originally he didn't want to listen to Cui Yan's "simple opinions". After all, Jizhou was unstable, which was obviously because Cui Yan was not doing things well, or Cui Yan's influence on Jizhou was not enough. Now the next strategy is already very complicated.
Understand, it is necessary to support Cao Cao in the fight. On the one hand, he sent an envoy to Jiangdong and asked Jiangdong to march into Sichuan and Sichuan to contain the Hussars. On the other hand, he recruited soldiers again to replenish the front line.
At the same time, Chen Qun's so-called "labor force" is also a supplementary emergency plan to weaken the strength of Jizhou's large households and ensure the stability of the front line...
Cui Yan said he had some ideas, but he obviously didn't agree with Chen Qun's strategy.
So to listen or not to listen?
If you listen, the previous arrangement may have to be overturned and redone, but if you don't listen, this guy is the local snake who knows Jizhou best. Who else has more say in Jizhou than him?
Cao Pi quickly weighed the pros and cons, nodded and said, "Please speak frankly."
"Thank you, Your Majesty."
Cui Yan raised his hand and looked at Cao Pi with bright eyes. This made Cao Pi frown slightly and felt unhappy, but he also felt that Cui Yan did have some ideas that could help the entire battle, otherwise he would not behave like this.
Have confidence……
"Your Majesty, there are dangerous mountains and rivers in Tongguan, and there are heavy troops stationed there, so we can't go down until ten days ago. There is no need to talk about this matter." Cui Yan's voice was clear, "Besides, Guanzhong and the east of the river are all pirates, so it is stable.
It is difficult to reach Tongguan directly. I think that now we should take Wuguan as the priority, not Tongguan!"
Cao Pi frowned.
Sure enough, Cui Yan overturned Chen Qun's strategy.
Cao Pi pondered for a while, but still nodded and said: "I would like to hear the details."
Cui Yan glanced at Chen Qun and said, "This is what I think... He is a hussar with great talent and great strategy. He is a general who stays at Tongguan in Guanzhong. Although his reputation is not good... But I am afraid that he is definitely not a good person..."
Cao Pi's brows twitched, as if he thought of something.
"Going against Fei to the west, we transferred Taishi to control the Western Regions. This was a last resort. The Western Region is vast, and cavalry is the most important thing. Under the hussar, the most powerful ones in cavalry combat are none other than the two Taishis of the Lu family. Therefore, the Lu family
If there are any mistakes, Taishi should make up for them..." Cui Yan talked about it in detail, "Though the two generals of Tongguan and Ma Zhu are not famous, they are quite capable of using troops. I don't need to talk about this point... There are other things.
Wei Wenchang, this person likes sneak attacks the most, but there is no movement in Shaanxi and Tianjin, which is really abnormal. Therefore, I think that we should be prepared to prevent him from making sneak attacks from behind and disrupting Jizhou... Changwen now wants to allocate troops and materials from Jizhou to provide for the front line... I
I think it is just a drop in the bucket and not enough to be used. It is better to stay in Jizhou to defend the place..."
Cao Pi also glanced at Chen Qun.
The feud between Chen Qun and Cui Yan is nothing new.
Chen Qun's strategy of allocating Jizhou's manpower and material resources was actually discussed by Cao Pi and Chen Qun before they came to Cui Yan.
Jizhou is unstable and still has the strength to struggle, so just draw blood directly. After the blood is exhausted, there will be no need to worry. The blood drawn can also be replenished to the front line. It is obviously a matter of killing two birds with one stone, but Cui Yan has obviously seen through this.
The purpose of the policy is to oppose it outright.
Chen Qun smiled and said, "Cui Shijun means that Wei Wenchang will raid Jizhou?"
"It's possible." Cui Yan raised his hand and said, "Your Majesty, the battle that made Wei Wenchang famous was that he ran hundreds of miles into the mountains day and night and fought in the mountains and forests of Sichuan and Shu. He was brave and not afraid of life and death... Now our army is heavily deployed on the front line.
, if we deploy garrison troops from various places, the local defenses will definitely be empty. If... something goes wrong, I'm afraid..."
Chen Qun laughed again, "This thousands-mile attack, it would be fine if it was a cavalry army. After all, Taishi has done it before. But our troops are blocking Tongguan Pass and guarding the main roads. Even if the cavalry is a good cavalry army, it will not matter."
Once it comes out, how can it attack from behind?"
Cui Yansurong said: "Wenchang Wei is good at infantry! Among Sichuan and Sichuan, infantry moved to the mountains and forests... On the side of Jizhou is Taihang, with many mountains and hills, it is difficult to guard against it..."
"Cui Shijun is really..." Chen Qun said with a smile, "My lord has been prepared for this matter! In the Taihang Mountains, there is General Le in Shangdang and General Xiahou in Taiyuan. These two generals have not yet retreated. This "defense is impossible to prevent", and
Where to start? What's more, even if you can travel through the mountains and forests from Shaanxi and Jin to Jizhou, how can you replenish food and grass? How can you get it in this cold winter? Cui Shijun is a little unfounded..."
Cui Yan was not angry because of Chen Qun's ridicule, but Chen Ken said: "I just have this concern and just discuss the matter. Why use long words to ridicule?"
"Ah...I'm sorry..." Chen Qun bowed his hands and said that his mocking of Cui Yanzhi just now was slightly inappropriate, "But this thing about running through mountains and forests and having infantry attack...it's really too much..."
Cui Yan nodded and said: "If we don't care about Wei Wenchang for the moment... then after taking Wancheng, we can send troops to Xiangyang, conquer Wuguan urgently, and capture Lantian. Then the danger of Tongguan can be opened up, and there is no need to waste soldiers."
Life, secondly, you can avoid the seriousness and choose the lighter one, and thirdly, you can quickly secure the pass to prevent the hussar from spinning around and ruining the success. Isn't it better than sending some laborers' cattle and wine?"
"This..." Cao Pi frowned.
Although he said that he and Chen Qun were discussing to weaken the strength of the Jizhou noble family, he also hoped that his father could defeat Fei Qian faster and win Guanzhong, so Cui Yan's last words also moved Cao Pi.
"This is... a two-pronged approach!"
Cao Pi said, I want both, I want to catch them both!
