Jiang Ji, who was waiting at Zhiguan, received the news from the scouts and was a little unbelievable:
"Are you sure? Are you sure you really returned it?"
This battle between Han and Wei has exceeded everyone's expectations in terms of scale and duration.
It has already rained twice in the Hedong and Hanoi areas.
The coolness after the rain seems to announce the official entry of autumn.
Although the Central Plains area is not like the Hanzhong area, continuous autumn rains often occur in August and September.
But there will be a few autumn rains more or less.
After several successive groups of scouts reported that the Western bandits had indeed retreated, Jiang Ji could finally breathe a sigh of relief.
But I still have doubts in my heart:
"Why did Thief Feng retreat halfway?"
Maybe it was because the autumn rain made it difficult to walk on the mountain road, which made Feng Thief retreat.
I remember that back then, when Cao Zidan wanted to march to the right, the partial division he sent had to walk in the Ziwu Valley for a month because of heavy rain, before they could barely complete half of the journey.
Could it be that... things are changing?
Now it's Feng Thief's turn to be stumped by Qiu Yu?
Jiang Ji himself felt that this idea was a bit ridiculous, but for a while, he couldn't think of any other reason.
However, his doubts did not last long.
The transmission of news in Wei may not be as smooth as that of Ji Han.
However, the critical military situation on the southern front was related to the gains and losses of the Central Plains. Three days after Feng Yong withdrew his troops, it was finally delivered to Jiang Ji as quickly as possible.
"What happened to Hangu Pass and Shaanxian County?"
Jiang Ji took the military report and suddenly felt like the world was spinning.
"Aren't they always on tight guard at Maojin Ferry? How could something happen?!"
Jiang Ji's lips were trembling. If he hadn't cultivated himself over the years, he would have almost cursed.
Hangu Pass is understandable. After all, facing Tong Pass, it is normal for someone to attack it.
But the inexplicable loss of Shaanxian County really made him feel a little unreasonable - strictly speaking, it was not lost yet, but it was basically a matter of time.
How many days can the defenders of Shaanxian County hold out with their retreat cut off?
"What do the defenders of Maojin Ferry do for food? They don't even know how the Western bandit army crossed the river?"
Maojin Ferry was lost so quickly that no one from the defenders ran out.
As a result, Luoyang only knew that the Han army had crossed the river from Maojin Ferry, but how they got there is still a mystery.
Not to mention why the defenders of Shaanxian County allowed the Western bandit army to cross the river without any reaction, but instead cut off the enemy's escape route, which is even more of a mystery.
Jiang Ji was about to curse, but suddenly thought of something:
Where did the army of Western bandits at Maojin Ferry come from?
Thief Feng?
In the past few days, Thief Feng has made great efforts to attack Zhiguan.
Now it has started but ended, and retreated in an extremely strange way.
Could it be that he is defrauding me?
In fact, it was to cover the bandits who were sneaking across Maojin Ferry?
As soon as he thought of this, Jiang Ji was so frightened that his eyes widened, his mouth opened wide, dumbfounded, and cold sweat broke out on his back.
After a long time, Jiang Ji finally closed his mouth and squeezed out a sentence from between his teeth:
"Thief Feng, treacherous!"
I could only hear a "whooshing" sound like a cow's gasp coming from his mouth and nose.
The dizzying feeling came over me again.
"Master, Ji is incompetent and has been deceived by thieves. Luoyang...cannot be defended anymore!"
By this time, he had fully understood.
Thief Feng simply used himself as bait, made such a big noise, and deliberately drove slowly on Zhiguan Road, just to focus all eyes on him.
In fact, he had already sent another army from Hedong, quietly passed through the pass between Wangwu Mountain and Taihang Mountain, and ambush at Maojin Ferry.
Just wait until the time is right to cross the river in one fell swoop.
No wonder, no wonder Thief Feng suddenly retreated.
Just because he has achieved his goal, he no longer needs to act for himself in Zhi Guan Road.
Thinking that I was over sixty years old, I was being played with by a child.
After figuring this out, Jiang Ji couldn't help but feel ashamed, ashamed, angry and angry:
"Thief Feng, you are going too far!"
Then he felt a sweetness in his throat, and with a "wow" sound, he spit out a mouthful of blood, turned over, became so out of breath that he passed out.
Just when Jiang Ji fell into a coma, Sima Shi, who was still staying in Gaodu City, had not yet received news of the crisis in Luoyang.
At this time, he had just had his sarcoma removed and was wrapping his left eye with a white cloth, looking somewhat like a one-eyed pirate.
Niu Jin, who was following him, was quite worried about his health and persuaded him more than once to return to Luoyang to recuperate.
Master Sima naturally refused.
So Niu Jin advised again:
"The Central Supervisory Army is ill. If you don't want to return to Luoyang, you can retreat to Tianjing Pass."
Master Sima pointed to the north and sighed:
"General Niu, I don't want to retreat, but the traitors have sent a large army to the north a few days ago, and most likely they are going to attack Shangdang."
"The Shangdang is in danger, and I have the strength. If I retreat without fighting at this time, and just sit back and watch the traitors attack friendly forces without caring, how will I gain a foothold in the army in the future?"
Master Sima is not a stupid person. He knows very well why the Lord allows him to lead an army alone this time.
Originally, things were going very smoothly.
Wei Yan has a very high reputation among the Western Bandit Army, and it is his first time to lead an army. He does not dare to expect to defeat this man head-on, but your Excellency has already paved the way for him.
As long as Wei Yan is defeated in the end, he will naturally take some credit for this matter.
But something went wrong in the end.
During the battle at Gaoping Pass, all the soldiers saw his embarrassed appearance, and he lost a lot of prestige.
If he retreats without a fight at this time, I am afraid that he will never have the opportunity to lead an army again in his life, let alone be given an important responsibility by an adult.
Therefore, Master Sima knew that even if he could not cross Gaoping Pass to support his eldest son, he would still act as if he could attack Gaoping Pass again at any time.
At least on the surface, we should try our best to delay the rebel army living in Gaoping Pass so that they dare not leave the pass and go northward without any scruples.
It's not that he doesn't want to retreat, but that he has no way to retreat now.
In other words, since we haven’t had a chance to withdraw yet, we have to have a justifiable reason, right?
Of course, Master Sima knew about Sima Yi's plan.
Moreover, the Shangdang side has also sent the latest news to itself via Hanoi.
Sima Division was waiting for the news that the Party's defenders had returned to Hanoi, so that he could legitimately withdraw.
Seeing that Master Sima could not be persuaded, Niu Jin could only sigh helplessly:
"Central Supervisory Army, do we still want to test today?"
Master Sima smiled and said:
"Why not go? The thieves dare not go out to fight. This is the time to boost the morale of our army and wash away the humiliation of the previous defeat."
After learning that the army of Western bandits in Gaoping Pass had gone north, Sima Division did not dare to neglect. He sent a group of troops and made a gesture of attacking Gaoping Pass again.
Who would have expected that the current garrison in Gaoping Pass would only focus on guarding the pass and protecting the retreat of the bandits from the north, and did not even think about leaving the pass to fight.
After the first attempt by Master Sima failed, he sent out troops several times.
Even in the last two times, they directly provoked Guanxia. Even if their own sergeants shouted insults at Guanxia, the Western thieves in Guancheng seemed to be deaf and ignored them at all.
After these days of testing, even if Master Sima is inexperienced, he can still see:
The Western thief is determined to cross Danshui by force and capture the eldest son!
Thinking about it, the main force of the army must be in the north. Nine times out of ten, only the bandits who can barely guard the pass are left in the city.
It is estimated that the generals guarding the Western Bandits in Gaoping Pass knew that they had few troops, so they retreated to avoid fighting.
However, even if he guessed the truth and falsehood of the opponent, there was still no good way for Sima Division to face the thieves huddled in the pass.
After all, he neither dared to raise his army to attack the city, nor did he dare to bypass Gaoping Pass and go north.
Because when the army is mobilized to attack the city, let alone whether it can be captured, if the main force of the rebel army in the north suddenly turns around, it will be a dilemma.
And if we bypass Gaoping Pass and go north to support... when the thieves cut off the escape route from Gaoping, we will be like a bird and become the second Zhao Kuo.
Encountering this kind of retreating tactic, Sima Division was helpless. All he could do was to send people to the pass to shout and provoke every day to see if he could attract the rebel army from the pass.
After hearing Sima Shi's explanation, Niu Jin thought about it too.
The previous defeat destroyed the morale of the army.
Now that they have been bullied under the eyes of the bandit army, the bandit army is unable to retreat.
Over the past few days, the soldiers have taken turns yelling and scolding each other, which can be regarded as letting out a bad breath.
"Okay, then the general will lead the army forward."
"Hey, General Niu, these days, every time you go there in person, you are also tired. Now that the lieutenant generals have recovered, you can have a good rest."
Master Sima waved his hand. He knew that if it weren't for Niu Jin, even Tianjing Pass would have been stormed by the bandits last time.
"This time, let me go."
As a general, he should show his face.
Niu Jin advised with some worry:
"No, the Central Supervisor is ill, how can he go to the front of the battle in person?"
It's because of my appearance now that I went to the front of the formation to let the soldiers take a look!
Naturally, if you can save some of the face you lost in the previous defeat, you should try to save as much as possible.
But seeing Master Sima’s attitude resolute:
"Needless to say, after recuperating for so many days, I feel much better and no longer feel pain."
"I have not appeared in the army these days. Going in person this time will also give the soldiers peace of mind."
When Niu Jin heard this, he felt that there was some truth in it, so he had no choice but to stop persuading:
"The Central Supervisory Army must be careful."
Master Sima smiled and said:
"It's just calling a thief, why worry?"
After speaking, Sima Shi personally led the front army and then went to Gaoping Pass.
As per the old rules, more than a dozen soldiers with loud voices walked forward in a swaggering manner and yelled curses.
At the same time, Master Sima ordered people to set up a table and sat in front of the table, watching the sumo wrestling of the sergeants in the army.
Since the general came in person, the Wei army's sergeants seemed particularly energetic today.
Not only was his voice a bit louder than before, but the generals who were watching the sumo wrestling also laughed loudly on purpose, quite unscrupulously.
Compared to those generals who were laughing wildly, Master Sima sitting behind the desk was more cautious.
Although these days, the Western thieves have not dared to come out to fight, but he still asked the soldiers behind to set up their formations, just in case.
Watching the sumo wrestling show of the soldiers, listening to the soldiers shouting and cursing in different ways, and then watching Gaoping close the city gate tightly,
At first, Master Sima found it a bit novel and quite interested.
In addition, after suffering losses at Gaoping Pass the previous time, he led the army back again. Looking at the thief army that was unable to retreat, he felt a little more comfortable.
It's just that as the sun goes directly overhead, the novelty wears off.
The bandits on the opposite side looked like they were all dead, with no movement at all.
This gradually made Master Sima feel a little bored.
It rained the past two days, and although it wasn't too hot, the weather in autumn is always relatively dry, making people easily irritated.
After sitting there for an unknown amount of time, Master Sima finally stood up impatiently, built an awning and looked towards Gaoping Pass.
Except for the traitor flag that hung lazily and did not want to move, not even a single traitor soldier raised his head to take a look.
I guess the other party has gotten used to it in the past few days, so he might as well just ignore it.
Master Sima turned around again and looked at the soldiers behind him.
After standing for nearly half a day, although the sun was not too bright, the soldiers were no longer as energetic as they had been at first, and even their formations seemed a bit scattered.
Some people even took off their armor privately and sat on the ground to rest.
Even the general who was laughing before was already laughing a little weakly.
As for the scolding sergeants, there have been several replacements.
Anyone who knows the military should know that this is a sign of the soldiers being restless and lazy.
But I don't know whether it was because Sima Division was inexperienced or because he believed that the defenders in the pass did not dare to come out, so he didn't care.
He even went to where the sergeant was yelling and scolding him, trying to make the Western thieves on Guancheng see him clearly.
Unfortunately, there is still no movement in Guancheng.
Master Sima frowned and couldn't help but cursed secretly:
"Is this thief general born in the year of the tortoise? Is he so tolerant?"
Seeing that the sun was beginning to turn westward, he finally gave up and ordered: "Retract the troops."
After the military order was passed down, the Wei army, which seemed a little tired at first, immediately reorganized into formation. How could it still look as lazy as before?
And behind these Wei soldiers, there was actually a phalanx of Wei soldiers, who were waiting in full formation from beginning to end.
It was not until they received the military order that they began to relax.
Just when the Wei army was preparing to return to the army, Gaoping closed the door. Someone put down the telescope, looked up at the sky, and suddenly said:
"It's cloudy."
I don't know when a dark cloud came over the sky, covering the sun.
A gust of autumn wind blew up, and the Han army flag that had been hanging down at the top of the city was finally blown up, making a loud sound.
"got windy."
"Isn't it going to rain?"
"possible."
“Will it thunder when it rains?”
"How can it rain without thunder?"
"What if we don't fight?"
"Then we'll call them."
"Hahaha……"
Some people laugh wildly, some people smile.
"Wish General Zhang a great victory!"
"Accept the auspicious words of Governor Jiang."
Just when the Wei army turned around and returned to the army, the city gate of Gaopingguan suddenly opened.
At the same time, rumbling thunder began to emanate from Guancheng, causing even the ground to tremble faintly.
"Master Sima, the great Han Anhan General Zhang Bao is here, come and die quickly!"
Under dark clouds and snow, with snake spears eight feet tall, Zhang Bao, who was in his prime of fighting, led the most elite cavalry of the Southern Army, one of the eight armies in Jihan Pass, out of Guancheng.
They gathered their military formation towards Kankan and prepared to break camp and return to attack the Wei army.
Jiang Bin stood on the top of the city, looking at the Wei army who wanted to lure the enemy, but was tricked by him instead. At this time, he was completely unprepared.
The infantry was in a hurry and wanted to resist the charge of the cavalry. It was simply a delusion.
As soon as the two sides came into contact, the Wei army was immediately rushed out of a huge gap.
Jiang Bin sighed with regret:
"It's a pity, it's a pity. The terrain here is not conducive to the deployment of the cavalry. Otherwise, not a single one of the bandits will be able to escape this time."
The terrain near Gaopingguan is undulating and surrounded by mountains.
Bai Qi surrounded Zhao Kuo's retreat and only mobilized thousands of cavalry.
This time Zhang Bao led only two thousand cavalry.
Two thousand cavalry is not the limit of the Confederate Army, but it is the limit of the terrain in this area.
Therefore, this raid is destined to only defeat the enemy, rather than annihilate the thieves.
The defeat of the rear troops made Master Sima's mind go blank:
"Why are there cavalry in the pass? Did the traitor's cavalry fall from the sky?"
The commotion in the rear began to spread among the Wei army like a plague.
The yelling and scolding was so enjoyable before, but now it is so painful.
"Stop them, stop them quickly!"
"We can't stop it anymore, General, let's go!"
…
"Where is Master Sima? Come out and die!"
Zhang Bao wielded his spear, picking, stabbing, and rushing left and right, like a god of death.
The Wei army in chaos could not organize an effective defense at all.
"General, the traitor's flag!"
"Kill it!"
Seeing the Han army's cavalry, like the tip of a knife, stabbing directly at his own army, Master Sima felt his heart beat faster and his forehead beat suddenly.
"Capture Master Sima!"
"Capture Master Sima!"
Master Sima screamed "Ah", covered his bandaged left eye, and shouted in pain: "My eye!"
In September of the fourth year of Yanxi, after Feng Yong learned that Zhang Yi led the armed guards to successfully attack Maojin Ferry at night, he finally mobilized the last strategic reserve force.
That is the Southern Army that has been guarding the east of Hedong.
After Zhang Bao received the urgent military order, he immediately secretly led the Southern Army and rushed to Gaoping Pass as quickly as possible to raid Sima Division.
Master Sima was so frightened that his eyes were knocked out of his sockets.
The Wei army lost nearly half of its troops and retreated to Tianjing Pass in embarrassment.