After the Battle of Xiaoguan, Wei was forced to completely abandon Anding County to the west of Longshan and to the east of Longshan.
Then, defensive fortifications were built around the central area surrounding Yicheng (corresponding to Xiedao) - Chencang (corresponding to Chencang Road) - Qianxian (corresponding to Longguan) - Jingshui Valley in Xinping County (corresponding to Anding County).
As for Feng Thief's little moves in the north of Beidi County and his hometown of Jiuyuan County over the years, Sima Yi was naturally well aware of it.
Therefore, on the one hand, in addition to reversing the practice of shrinking Beidi County since the Later Han Dynasty, he actively eliminated certain pro-Han tribes near Beidi County.
At the same time, the first cordon was set up on the Great Wall within the Qin Dynasty, that is, in the area of Jushui in the north of the original Beidi County (note: it is not Jushui in Hanzhong, it is located in the northern Shaanxi Plateau in later generations).
Beidi County is high in the north and low in the south. If the Shu captives want to raid Guanzhong from the hometown of Jiuyuan, there is a barrier that cannot be bypassed.
This is the Qiaoshan Mountains (later known as Ziwu Ridge).
Qiaoshan Mountains is the collective name for a large mountain range. The altitude of the mountains is not too high, but the terrain is relatively complex.
Even in later generations, it is a well-preserved natural vegetation area on the Loess Plateau and an important ecological forest in the central part of the Loess Plateau.
The Qiaoshan Mountain Range starts from the source of Jushui in the north and ends in Fuping County, the county seat of Beidi County, in the south.
Qinzhidao is in the shape of a zigzag, winding on the ridges of various mountains in the Qiaoshan Mountains.
The army was walking along Qinzhidao, and could overlook all the conditions at the foot of the mountain.
Before the Han Dynasty regained the Hetao area, they relied on this mountain range to prevent the Xiongnu from going south and entering the hinterland of Guanzhong.
It can be said that it is the last barrier in Guanzhong blocking the enemies from the south.
Since the Later Han Dynasty, Beidi County has been shrinking, and its final territory ended at this mountain range.
You can throw it away north of Qiaoshan Mountain, but you can never throw it away at Qiaoshan Mountain.
Therefore, Sima Yi naturally knew the importance of Qiaoshan. He not only had people dig trenches on the Qin Straight Road, but also built barriers to block the cavalry.
At the same time, camps were set up at various dangerous mountain passes in Qiao Mountain, intending to set up camp step by step to stop the enemy.
And because the mountains south of Qiaoshan end in Fuping County, the county seat of Beiji County, there are many rivers of different sizes that converge from the mountains and flow through Fuping County.
The dense river network, as long as it is used properly, can also delay the advance of the cavalry. This is Sima Yi's third line of defense.
It can be said that Sima Yi attached more importance to the defense of Beidi County than anyone imagined.
He would not leave the slightest chance for his opponent to raid Guanzhong from Beidi County.
There was no way, the Ghost Cavalry under King Feng Gui was really too terrifying. If they were allowed to cross the Qiaoshan Mountains and enter the Guanzhong plains, no one would be able to say that they could withstand the charge of the Ghost Cavalry.
If the Han army wanted to imitate Huo Piao and Yao and make a large circle from the desert and go south along the Qinzhi Road, they would have to attack his camps one by one on the tops of Qiao Mountain.
The problem is... the enemies coming from Jiuyuan's hometown must only be cavalry.
How much casualties would the cavalry have to pay to capture these densely packed camps or the camps placed in dangerous passes on the mountain tops?
Naturally, Feng Yong didn't know about Sima Yi's arrangements.
So he didn't know that after leading the army in a big circle this time, he would most likely run into the hardest turtle shell at some point in the future.
Just when he was having a great time leading the sheep in the desert, Xi Zuo of Wei State in Hanzhong and Longyou was already running like flying through the deep mountains and old forests of Qinling Mountains and Longshan Mountains.
They walked on the wild paths in the mountains that only woodcutters knew, and wanted to convey the news of the Han army's dispatch to Guanzhong as quickly as possible.
But it was Xicheng who first conveyed the news.
Although the Shu people used the excuse of not traveling for a long time on business trips, they blocked several roads in Hanzhong two years ago.
However, as the Xiegu Road where Shu captives in Hanzhong are most likely to appear - the other road is Chencang Road - Xicheng's outposts placed on the Xiegu Road have never been interrupted.
The outposts detected that there seemed to be abnormal Shu captives deep in the Xiegu Road. Coupled with the sudden closure of the Longshan Pass to prevent business travelers from traveling, Sima Yi suddenly guessed what might happen.
When the secret agent in Shu sent the first information to Chang'an, Sima Yi confirmed the authenticity of the information on the spot.
"Pass my order to Xicheng to send additional sentinels to find out the movements of the Shu captives!"
Sima Yi made a "pop" sound, pressed the silk with urgent military information on the case, and said sternly.
"Here!"
"Come here and send an order to Qianxian and Chencang, asking them to step up their defenses and guard against any loss!"
"Here!"
After giving the instructions, Sima Yi suddenly let out a long breath, relaxed his whole body, and murmured with a vague light in his eyes:
"finally come!"
Everyone knows that the Shu captives, who have great geographical advantages, will invade Guanzhong sooner or later.
Years of preparation, waiting for today.
If this battle is defeated, the Wei Dynasty will completely lose the opportunity to unify the world.
On the contrary, if the Shu captives can be defeated in this battle, Longyou can be restored.
With Longyou in hand, Liangzhou will have no worries.
Just when Sima Yi regained his energy and was about to issue the third military order, suddenly there was a dull and loud noise in the distance.
The loud noise sounded like thunder but not thunder, and there were gold-like objects striking each other.
When Sima Yi heard this voice, his heart skipped a beat, as if he remembered something, he quickly ran to the door and looked in the direction of the voice.
But the sky was clear and the sun was high, but there was no sign of thunder.
Sima Yi's face was slightly gloomy, because the loud noise was coming from the direction of Tongguan.
"Go, send someone out of the city to see what happened."
He turned around and ordered the personal guards who were following closely.
"Here."
Back in the house, Sima Yi was alone in a room, with a look of hesitation on his face, as if he was thinking about something.
Although it is almost certain that the Shu captives will invade in a large scale, it is still unknown where the main direction of the Shu captives' invasion will be from Ziwu Valley in the south of Chang'an to Qiaoshan in the north.
So he was not in a hurry to mobilize his troops.
Because there's no point in being anxious.
Only by knowing in which direction the Ge thieves and Feng thieves appeared can the Guanzhong army be mobilized in a targeted manner.
The Ge Thief will most likely come out of Xiegu. After all, there are several roads in Hanzhong, and this is the best way to go.
Even Chen Cangdao is not a good choice.
Because the deep valley below the Dashanguan Pass is very steep, with cliffs confronting it on both sides, like a line of sky.
Unless a sneak attack is successful, only a few thousand defenders are enough to make it difficult for tens of thousands of troops to move forward.
Even though it is rumored that the Shu captives have powerful siege weapons, it is not so easy to capture the narrow pass.
Therefore, Thief Ge's actions are easy to guess, but Thief Feng...
When Sima Yi thought of this thief, he suddenly felt a little irritable.
If Ge Ze likes a master who is upright and uses his power to force others, then Feng Ze is erratic, full of tricks, and unpredictable.
But this thief is very good at attacking, so people have to be careful.
Longguan?
Xiao Guan?
stable?
Or...Northland County?
Just as Sima Yi was thinking about it and anxiously waiting for more information from the details and the sentinels, a sergeant came hurriedly from outside to report:
"Da Sima, it's too bad. The people's manpower is insufficient. The dew-bearing tray had only been transported for about thirty miles when it fell into the trench and broke!"
Sima Yi's head buzzed, and he lost his voice: "What?"
It turns out that the loud noise in front was caused by the dew plate breaking?
Sima Yi's face changed drastically, and he suddenly slapped his thigh: "The Shu captives invaded, I actually forgot about it!"
He made a trip to Luoyang the previous time and argued hard, so that His Majesty knew that transporting the Jinren and the Bearing Tray at the same time would excessively deplete the people of Guanzhong, which would not be conducive to strengthening the defense of Guanzhong.
Therefore, you can transport the dew plate first this year, and then transport the gold person next year.
Although the dew tray is much larger than the Jinren, it can be disassembled.
Just moving it is still very difficult.
Thirty thousand civilians paved roads, built bridges, and worked hard to carry the goods. On flat land, it could only cover ten miles a day, but on rugged land, it was common for them to move three or four miles a day.
So for more than a month, we demolished and moved again, and then we moved the dew-bearing plate about thirty miles out of Chang'an City.
Unexpectedly, when it was first discovered that the Shu captives were invading, the dew plate fell into the trench and broke, and its sound could be heard for dozens of miles.
Sima Yi's face suddenly darkened.
He just said, "I actually forgot about this," which of course was not the truth.
He was originally waiting for the situation to be truly clear tomorrow or the day after tomorrow, so that he could have a reason to report to His Majesty and stop carrying the dew tray.
And the civilian men who had already gathered just happened to be incorporated into the army to transport food and grass to the army.
It's just that this sign right now... doesn't seem to be good, right?
Sima Yi's eyelids twitched a few times, but he didn't dare to delay any longer and quickly ordered:
"Come here, prepare pen and ink!"
On the same day, after Sima Yi's memorial was sent out of Chang'an City by horse, the main generals of the Wei Guanzhong army, Guo Huai, Xian Yufu, Du Xi, Niu Jin, Fei Yao, Dai Ling, Deng Ai and others.
Either they were summoned, or urgent orders began to be sent to them...
Soon, the second batch of information was sent to Sima Yi.
The first thing detected by the Wei army was not the Hanzhong army that was under surveillance, but the Longyou army closest to Anding County.
As soon as Deng Zhi and Ma Dai led the army out of Xiaoguan and entered Anding, Xian Yufu, who was guarding the Jingshui Valley in Xinping County, immediately became alert and sent news to Chang'an almost at the same time.
"This partial force is nothing to worry about. The auxiliary generals can handle it."
Sima Yi looked at the military information sent by Xian Yufu, but his brows were still furrowed.
What he wants most is news about Ge and Feng. These two thieves are actually a serious problem for the Wei Dynasty.
"Thief Feng will not come from Anding. The ghost cavalry under this thief can only be used in flat areas, but it cannot exert its power in the Jingshui River Valley."
Sima Yi's eyes fell on the map, which looked very crude compared to the maps currently used by the Han army.
However, the locations of Longguan, Xiaoguan and Qiaoshan can still be roughly marked.
"Tie Feng, where are you coming from?"
Sima Yi's eyes flickered and he murmured to himself.
Cross Longguan and dive into Qianxian. As long as Qianxian is captured, we can march straight in.
In the same way, you can go south from Xiaoguan along the Huizhong Road and go straight to Qian County.
In the battle of Xiaoguan, Feng's thief attacked the city as if he were strolling in the courtyard. Cao Zidan misjudged the thief's siege speed, and made one mistake at a time.
Therefore, it stands to reason that Feng Thief's possibility of attacking Qian County is the greatest.
It's just that Thief Feng is too cunning!
So Sima Yi's eyes fell on Qiaoshan in Beidi County...
As time passes, the clouds of war in Guanzhong continue to accumulate.
The number of messengers between Chang'an and Luoyang suddenly increased.
Sometimes I can ride more than ten times a day.
"Report! Da Sima and General Qiaoqi (Qin Lang) have led the army through Tongguan, and the vanguard will reach Chang'an in three days!"
"Excellent! General Qin arrived at Guanzhong before the Shu captives, giving us another three points of certainty in this battle!"
Sima Yi laughed at the generals.
Everyone agreed and laughed.
Only Guo Huai and Deng Ai had smiles on their faces, but there was worry in their eyes.
General Xiaoqi led the Chinese army from Luoyang to Chang'an faster than the Shu captives. This is natural.
Da Sima was using it to encourage the troops at this time, and he was probably feeling a little uneasy in his heart.
But in any case, the arrival of Qin Lang's 50,000 elite Chinese army from Luoyang finally gave Guanzhong a shot in the arm.
Sima Yi personally went out of the city to greet Qin Lang, which shows that he attaches great importance to this army.
"General Qin, it has now been found out that the Shu captives, the fake Xiangge thief, personally led an army from Xiegu. It is rumored that there are one hundred thousand people, but in my opinion, they are only five or sixty thousand at most."
The military situation was urgent. After receiving Qin Lang, Sima Yi immediately explained to him the situation in Guanzhong at this time:
"I heard that the puppet emperor of Shu has been staying in Hanzhong for a long time. Considering the character of Ge, he will definitely leave some troops to defend the Liu family."
"After all, I also led the army from Shangyong to the west and reached Hanzhong back then. In addition, there are several other routes from Guanzhong that entered Hanzhong, so Ge Thief will definitely guard against this."
Qin Lang was sent to Qian County to prevent the Shu people from crossing Longshan, and later followed Cao Zhen to participate in the Battle of Xiaoguan.
In that melee, he was one of the few people who could lead a complete battalion to retreat from the battlefield. Cao Zhen retreated under his escort.
Later, Bi Gui, the governor of Bingzhou, forced the Hu people to rebel, and was severely defeated by Ke Bi Neng outside the fortress.
Cao Rui then sent Qin Lang to lead the Chinese army to Bingzhou, and finally defeated Kebineng, leaving Kebineng almost in ruins.
In the end, he had to follow the advice of King Feng Gui and move the court tent to his hometown of Jiuyuan in order to get better contact with Liangzhou.
Over the years, the border of Bingzhou and Youzhou has been peaceful, and no barbarians have caused trouble. This is all due to Qin Lang's battle.
It can be said that Qin Lang has been regarded as an outstanding figure among the younger generation of Wei State over the years.
At this time, when he heard Sima Yi's words, his brows furrowed:
"Da Sima, what about Thief Feng? Where is this Thief now?"
Guo Huai next to him twitched his mouth when he heard Qin Lang's words.
At this time, he really understood Qin Lang's mood.
After all, he and Qin Lang participated in the great defeat at Xiaoguan, and that torrent of red iron armor was a nightmare that lingered in their hearts.
Although several years have passed, the nightmare has returned again. It is impossible to say that I am not frightened at all, so I cannot be too careful.
"Thief Feng?"
Sima Yi hesitated for a moment, and finally shook his head, "I don't know where it is yet."
"This thief is very cunning, so you have to be careful."
Qin Lang murmured, "Where does Da Sima think he will be?"
"No matter where he is now, he will only appear in these two places in the end."
As Sima Yi spoke, he pointed at Qian County and Beidi County with his finger, "The army led by Ge Thief is the main force of the Shu captives, so I plan to personally lead the army to Xicheng."
"The remaining two places require people who can convince the crowd and are good at fighting. It is best to go to those who are familiar with the terrain..."
When Guo Huai heard this, his expression changed slightly!
As if understanding, Qin Lang glanced at Guo Huai subconsciously.
As a cavalry general, Qin Lang was deeply favored by Cao Rui, but he kept a low profile and had never offended anyone.
In the past few years, he had guarded Qianxian County for several years. In addition, he had participated in major wars and had military exploits.
Guo Huai, on the other hand, had been guarding Guanzhong for a long time and was the governor of Yongzhou, so he was considered a veteran.
Whether they are convinced by the public or familiar with the terrain, both of them can be said to be suitable candidates.
The atmosphere was deadlocked for a moment, and finally Qin Lang sighed inaudibly and broke the silence:
"I am quite familiar with Qian County, so why not just let me guard it."
Sima Yi was overjoyed when he saw Qin Lang taking the initiative to invite him:
"If General Qin goes to Qian County, he will be fine!"
After all, he is a popular person around His Majesty, so Sima Yi naturally does not want to offend him easily.
If Qin Lang is unwilling to go, he will certainly not force him.
If it were any other matter, Qin Lang would naturally not come forward.
It's just that Qin Lang has an unusually close relationship with Cao Rui. At the moment, he has no reason to back down, either emotionally or rationally.
When Guo Huai saw Qin Lang like this, how could he have the nerve not to say anything?
I saw him quickly cupping his fists and saying:
"The general has been in Guanzhong for a long time and is most familiar with Guanzhong. Let the general guard Qiaoshan."
"Okay, then I will allocate 30,000 elite troops to General Guo. But when you see the enemy coming, remember not to attack, just stick to the mountain pass."
"In this way, if there are not three times the number of Shu captives, it will be difficult to cross the bridge."
After this arrangement was completed, Sima Yi personally led an army of 100,000 people to Yicheng, preparing to block Zhuge Liang to death in the inclined valley.