Xu Miao's outstanding achievements in every official position are inseparable from his ability to understand people's sentiments and inspect local customs.
It is precisely because of this that when he was the prefect of Longxi and Nan'an, he knew some old things: from Didao to Han, you could cross the river to Xiping, and then from Xiping through the Qilian Mountain pass, you could reach Zhangye directly.
This road has been inaccessible for a long time because of the rebellion of the Hu people.
As for the disputes between the barbarians in the West Sea, who can guarantee that no Shu people will be involved?
After all, given Feng Wenhe's reputation among the Hu people...
Thinking of the possibility of a Shu army suddenly appearing in Zhangye behind Wuwei, everyone fell silent.
No one dares to take this responsibility.
What's more, his eyes flickered and he didn't know what he was thinking.
While Xu Miao sent troops to Xiping, he also urgently mobilized the troops from Zhangye, Jiuquan and Dunhuang counties in the rear to guard against unpreparedness.
Feng Yong, who was walking in the Nanshan mountains of Jincheng, suddenly raised his head and took a deep breath.
Then he sneezed several times "sneeze, sneeze".
"Thinking about it, scolding me, and catching a cold. Do I have a cold?"
Feng Yong tightened his clothes and didn't feel any discomfort.
Walking in the mountains is shady and comfortable, except for being a little tired.
He looked ahead and saw green hills, green clouds, and the sounds of apes and beasts from time to time.
The scenery is really good.
In addition, the sun and moon never last long in the mountains, so you don’t have to endure the scorching heat like outside. Under normal circumstances, it would be a good place for a vacation.
It's just that he didn't come here to see the scenery, and these days when he looked up, there were mountains, mountains, and mountains.
Feng Yong began to feel a little irritable and depressed.
He couldn't help shouting: "Li Jian!"
"What are your orders, Your Majesty?"
Li Jian, dressed in simple clothes, quickly ran up.
I saw that he had long since changed out of the toga, which symbolized that only upper-class people wore it, and imitated Feng Yongjun, who had tied up his leggings and tightened his sleeves to prevent poisonous mosquitoes.
"How far ahead?"
"Hurry, hurry!"
Li Jian said quickly.
Feng Yong glanced sideways at Li Jian.
Boy, your words sound very familiar to me.
When I went on outdoor excursions with fellow travellers, the leader often said, "Come on, come on!"
He lied to me and said that he would be there just after turning a corner, but he didn't tell me that it would take a whole day to turn that corner.
Fortunately, Li Jian did not have the same bad habits as the leader of the travel companions in his previous life.
Although he had never walked this road, the Li family in Longyou sent two experienced old people.
Li Jian's most important job is to transfer everything the family guide knows about this road to Feng Junhou.
It is enough for the direct grandson of the Li family to show up in front of Feng Junhou. Forget about other people during the home visit.
The dark night camp who was exploring the road ahead quickly received news that after passing this valley, they would reach the water flow mentioned by the Li family guide. Following this water, one could reach the big river.
“It’s good to be here!”
Feng Yong was overjoyed when he heard this.
When you reach this river, it means you have crossed this mountain range and are walking along the river valley, which will be much easier.
Knowing that he was about to reach the first destination, Zhang Ni caught up from behind and said, "Your Majesty, why don't you take a rest first? The mountain road is difficult to travel, and the Modao team is moving forward with heavy loads, so the soldiers will be tired easily."
Although there are guides, old roads, and front troops opening the way this time, it is not flat ground after all.
Even though everyone in the army was marching in armor, the Mo Dao team still carried a heavy burden.
This trip brought 500 auxiliary troops, 300 of whom were transferred to the Modao Team, and 200 to the Tiger Infantry.
The Dark Night Camp and the Wudang Camp are all self-reliant and do not have any auxiliary soldiers.
The only thing that is special is Feng Yong's bodyguard and a dozen Yunnan horses that are good at walking on mountain roads.
Feng Yong looked at Zhang Yi with doubts in his eyes: Since we are almost there, why not make a big effort?
Zhang Ni understood Feng Yong's eyes and heard him whisper: "Junhou, it is a resting place and has direct access to the river. That means Cao thieves can easily go up the river."
"So why not let the soldiers rest and recover their strength first, so that the Dark Night Camp can have time to investigate the place?"
Feng Yong was shocked and nodded, "That makes sense."
Although the Li family has released all their third-generation grandchildren to follow them on this trip, they must be fully prepared, but they must be careful in everything, and they have to be careful to survive long.
After ordering the entire army to rest in place, Feng Yong found a place to sit down and sighed in his heart.
At this moment, I felt a bit like Deng Ai who sneaked into Yinping, except that he was walking through a mountainous road with a guide. Who knew it would be so difficult.
I don’t know how that Deng Ai led his people to walk in the uninhabited land of Yinping, without a guide or a road, and how he got the soldiers to follow him.
Just as he was thinking about it, someone handed him a leather bag and said, "Captain, please drink some water."
It was Zhang Yuan, the staff officer of the General Staff Department.
Feng Yong looked at the skin bag and made sure it was his own special water bag, then he opened it and took a sip.
"Mu Zhi, did you gain anything from following Chief of Staff Gongsun a few days ago?"
Feng Junhou was very concerned about the growth of this student.
"Go back to the mountains and grow, and you will gain something!"
Zhang Yuan quickly stood up and answered.
"Sit, sit." Feng Yong stretched out his hand and pressed it, motioning for him to sit next to him, "Tell me, what did you learn?"
Zhang Yuan sat down next to Feng Yong in an orderly manner, his body stretched straight: "Mr. Gongsun said, you should read more when you have nothing to do."
"When formulating a battle plan, we must regard ourselves as thieves, so that we can think of the ways the thieves will use to deal with us as much as possible."
Feng Yong laughed happily after hearing these words.
Zhang Yuan looked at Feng Yong nervously, not knowing what he said wrong.
Feng Yong patted him on the shoulder and encouraged: "Mr. Gongsun is right. You should ask him for advice when you go back."
Gongsun Zheng did not come this time and stayed in Pingxiang to help handle affairs.
"Also, I have a book of thirty-six strategies to give to you. When this battle is over and I return to Pingxiang, remember to remind me so that I don't forget."
After hearing this, Zhang Yuan stood up suddenly, his face flushed with excitement, "Student understands!"
There have long been rumors in Nanxiang Academy that the Chief of the Mountain was of extraordinary origin, but what is taught in the school now is just the most basic knowledge of the Chief of the Mountain.
Only by becoming a direct student of the mountain leader can you have the opportunity to learn more profound knowledge.
Could it be that... I am really like those characters in the biographies, who have encountered legendary adventures?
Thinking of this, Zhang Yuan felt his blood surge up one after another, and he could even hear the beating sound in his chest.
Even in the shady mountain forest, he still felt that his body was filled with heat, and the heat even flowed to his fingertips, making him feel a little burning.
Feng Junhou was a little confused as to why this young man was so excited. He waved his hand and said, "Go and bring me the map."
Zhang Yuan responded and quickly turned around to get the map.
Spreading out the map, Feng Yong took the pen handed over by Zhang Yuan, casually sketched some things on it, and filled in the blank areas on it.
However, his eyes couldn't help but fall on the southern Silk Road from Didao to Zhangye. There was a circle drawn in the blank area to the north of Xiping County.
That's the Qilian Mountains, and it's also an area controlled by the Qiang and Hu.
Feng Yong secretly felt a pity in his heart: If the Han Dynasty was strong enough now, he could lead his army directly into Hexi and then invade Zhangye. Liangzhou might not be defeated in one battle.
After thinking about it for a while, he put the map away and handed it to Zhang Yuan, waiting for the news ahead.
Facts have shown that although it is a good thing to be careful, Feng Yong and others seemed to be a little too cautious this time: news came from the Dark Night Camp, and there were no suspicious signs nearby.
Reaching this river means that you have passed the most difficult part of this mountain range.
Although Wei Jun did not appear, Feng Yongfei did not relax, but became more cautious.
Leading the army through the mountains was more difficult than imagined, and more importantly, he was likely to be out of touch with Wei Yan.
Judging from the time, Wei Yan should have already begun to attack the city, but he was still staggering in the mountains.
The search range of the Dark Night Camp was ten miles ahead. After it was safe, the army continued to follow up, which also resulted in a relatively slow march.
The slow marching speed paid off, and the army had a safe journey without any ambush.
This situation continued until we were ready to leave the mountain pass.
According to Li Jian, the mountain pass is the most dangerous place.
"Your Majesty, there are Wei troops guarding the mountain pass."
Feng Yong perked up and looked at the captain of the dark night camp, "How many people are there?"
The more troops the opponent has, the better. As long as he can hold back the enemies coming for reinforcements from Jincheng and Liangzhou, he will have completed his mission.
In addition, when he led his troops out of Longxi, there was a lot of fanfare and commotion. It seems that the guard general in Hexi has notified Jincheng.
Anyway, in this mountain, setting up too many flags and beating military drums can easily lead to bluffing of troops.
Therefore, the opponent will not dare to attack easily until he knows his true strength.
What's more, our Dark Night Camp and Wudang Camp have an advantage over each other in the mountains and forests.
"There is only a small camp. Depending on the size, there may be two to three hundred people, or there may only be a hundred or so people. It doesn't look like there are many people."
The captain of the Dark Night Camp also had a puzzled look on his face, as if he didn't understand why the Wei army deployed only such a small number of troops in such a dangerous place.
Feng Yong almost choked.
His eyes widened, "Two or three hundred people? Are you sure? Could there be an ambush?"
When encountering this situation, Feng Yong subconsciously felt that he was being deceived.
I made such a big noise in Hedong with great fanfare. Anyone who is not blind can see it. How could Jincheng not be prepared?
This unscientific!
The unexpected situation made Feng Yong a little undecided.
"Go and call all the generals."
Feng Yong ordered Zhang Yuan.
Zhang Yiju helped Jiang Wei and the others received Feng Yong's order and quickly gathered together.
When they learned about the situation at the mountain pass ahead, several people looked surprised.
"Tell me what you are thinking." Feng Yong said with a frown, "The situation is very strange! Tsk, really, the plan is not as fast as the change."
Several people looked at each other in confusion. Zhang Ni, the oldest one, was the first to ask: "Your Majesty, is this true?"
"The most dangerous thing in this valley is the hills on both sides. It is abnormal that the Cao thieves are not stationed on the hills now."
Feng Yong squatted down and took stones and branches to pose, "If we occupy the hills on both sides, we can attack them from a high position."
"Even if we don't attack, we can still defend from high ground. Cao Cao's thieves can only look up and sigh. So how unwise are Cao's thieves guarding Jincheng?"
This journey has been smooth sailing, and I haven't even encountered an enemy sentry, which is a very strange thing in itself.
Feng Yong didn't believe that the opponent's sentry was so powerful. While escaping from the Dark Night Camp's detection, he didn't even leave any clues.
This weird feeling reached its peak when I was preparing to leave the valley.
Why do I have the feeling that General Jincheng is our senior spy and is trying hard to cooperate with our actions and find ways to make my journey smooth?
It feels too ridiculous.
Jiang Wei looked at the two stones and a few branches on the ground, and couldn't help but whisper: "Jun Hou, could it be that Cao Cao didn't expect that we would come over the mountain, so he was unprepared?"
Everyone looked at Jiang Wei, making this young general who was leading an army for the first time suddenly feel a little restrained.
"The king is making such a grand display, how can the Cao thieves in Hexi not know about it?"
Jufu disagrees with this statement.
Jiang Wei started to speak but stopped.
Feng Yong noticed his expression and said, "Bo Yue, just say it, I asked you to come here just to listen to your opinions."
Jiang Wei received encouragement from Feng Yong and then continued, "The Cao thieves in Hexi know that the lord led the army out of Longxi, but they may not know where the lord has gone unless they cross the river to check."
"The Lord asked Governor Chen and General Liu to protect our retreat. If the two generals defended well and prevented Cao's thieves from finding out what was happening on the east bank, then how could Jincheng know where the Lord led the army?"
This time even Zhang Yi shook his head: "Even if Cao Cao is unable to send troops to cross the river eastward, he can at least send sentries to investigate secretly. How can he stay in the west of the river?"
"More importantly, how to explain the thieves outside the valley?"
The Wei army did not send anyone to guard the valley, but instead sent dozens of people to garrison on the flat ground outside the valley. It was really strange.
Jiang Wei was speechless for a moment, and his face was slightly red.
"After all possibilities have been eliminated, the most absurd inference may be the correct answer."
Feng Yong did not clearly support whose opinion, he just said something that no one could understand.
Then he took the branch and pointed at the two stones at his feet, "Whether Thief Cao really has no intention of guarding the mountain pass, we will know just by trying it. Who is going to take down these two mountain tops?"
As long as he occupies these two hills, he will be considered invincible, no matter what his plot is.
Jufu and Jiang Wei said at the same time: "The last general is asking for orders!"
Zhang Yi didn't say anything. He thought that the Modao team was fighting head-on in front of the formation and was not afraid of anyone.
But if it's something like capturing the top of a mountain, it's not something the Modao Team is good at.
"Okay, so General Wudang led the Wudang Camp to Dongshan, and General Jiang led the Tiger Infantry to Xishan."
Feng Yong agreed to the two men's request to fight, and at the same time told him, "Although the Dark Night Camp has inspected the hills on both sides, the outside of the hills has not been fully inspected after all. You should be careful."
"promise!"
Feng Yong looked at Zhang Ni again: "General Zhang, when the two generals lead the army to occupy the top of the mountain, you should stay in the valley and set up camp just in case."
Zhang Yi cupped his fists and said, "I obey your order!"
"You must remember that if there are really no Cao thieves at the mountain pass, it is not necessary to raise the flag first and let the soldiers wait quietly, so as not to disturb the Cao thieves outside."
After Feng Yong issued the military order, his eyes intentionally or unintentionally glanced at a corner in the distance, where several handymen were sitting and resting.
Ah, very good.
The operation to occupy the top of the mountain went smoother than expected.
This made Feng Yong feel once again that the other party had a senior undercover agent of our army.
After his side easily occupied the commanding heights, Feng Yong climbed to the top of the mountain, raised his telescope and looked outside the valley, and saw an official road several miles away.
There were no people on the official road, and there was a small camp on the roadside.
What makes people feel even more weird is that the gate of the camp opposite does not face the direction of the valley.
This shows that the other party seems...as if...not guarding the mountain pass at all!
After confirming this, Feng Yong's heart started to beat loudly: "Is it possible that I have a hidden European emperor's physique?"
Thinking of grabbing a red envelope in his previous life, where others received ten yuan and he only had ten cents and one yuan, Feng Junhou suddenly felt tears filling his eyes.
I want to be Deng Ai!
Feng Yong turned his head and ordered to Zhang Yuan: "Go and call the people from the Dark Night Camp over here!"
The captain of the Dark Night Battalion came over quickly.