"Yu Fu and Guan Guan are actually the door to good fortune and misfortune in Yizhou."
——Fa Zheng's "Notes with Liu Zhang"
When the late Emperor Liu Bei captured Shu and besieged Luocheng, Fazheng wrote to Liu Zhang to persuade him to surrender, claiming that "Yufu" and "Jianguan" were the gates of good and misfortune to Yizhou, and if they were lost, Yizhou would be blocked and unable to defend.
Among them, Yufu (Qutang Gorge) has now been renamed Yong'an.
The key point is Guancheng, the first pass in northern Yizhou.
It is also the starting point of the Taurus Path.
Zheng Pu and his party, driving their horses and prisoners, arrived here on the third day.
The reason why we are holding back is not because we are nostalgic for the majestic beauty of this pass.
Instead, they waited for Ma Dai on the other side of Yang'ankou to send troops to help him before he could pass.
Because from Guancheng to Yang'ankou, we have to pass through the southeast corner of Wudu County, a distance of about 120 miles (Han).
Against the Wei Dynasty, Ben Duo rode, and the garrison at Guancheng discovered it again recently. Wudu Xiaben saw that there were additional troops coming from Longyou, so it would be better to be careful.
Moreover, because all the Han people in Wudu County were relocated, except for the Wei troops stationed in the three counties of Wudu, Xiabian, Shanglu, and Wudu Road, the rest of the area was occupied by unmigrated Di tribes.
It will cause unnecessary conflicts.
This is also the reason why every governor of Guangshi would frequently send out small teams of troops to engage in constant skirmishes with the Wei army and the Di tribe.
In order to ensure smooth traffic between Yang'ankou and Guancheng.
At this time, Zheng Pu stopped on a huge rock in the pass, looking at the mighty water of the Western Han Dynasty passing by under his feet, and he couldn't help but sigh in his heart,
This water merged with the old water and meandered into the Western Han River, which was renamed the Jialing River in the Shu region, killing the hope of a direct attack on Guanzhong in the Shu region.
At the beginning, the great ancestor Liu Bang used Han Xin to "build plank roads openly and secretly visit Chencang" to seize the land of the Three Qin Dynasties. Among them, the transportation of grain, fodder and baggage from Bashu relied on this Western Han River.
Because at that time, the Western Han River was still connected with the Han River (Mian River) that entered Hanzhong County, forming the Tianchi Daze in Wudu, which allowed the water flow upstream and downstream to be gentle, allowing large ships to travel without worries.
From the north, you can enter Guanzhong, and from the west, you can go to Longyou!
However, just twenty years after Chen Cang was secretly assassinated, a major earthquake hit Wudu.
The terrain in the southeastern part of Wudu County was raised, the West Han River and the Han River no longer merged, and even Tianchi Daze was submerged.
Without the water buffering of Tianchi and Daze, the Western Han River flows into Shu very quickly during the wet season, and often cuts off during the dry season, making it difficult for even small boats to pass, not to mention large ships.
No matter it is Bashu or Hanzhong County, it is no longer possible to rely on rivers to transport grain and baggage directly into Guanzhong. [Note 1]
The secret of Chencang has become a dead ringer.
The lifeline of conquest is cut off
Even the Dashan Pass, which separated Guanzhong from Wudu County, was abandoned since it no longer had strategic significance.
As far as the land of Bashu is concerned, from the battle between the Seven Heroes of the Warring States Period to the time when the great ancestor Liu Bang took over the land of the Three Qin Dynasties, the strategic significance of the Jialing River in Guanzhong, which Bashu relied on for a steady supply of blood, also plummeted.
For example, the earliest Baishui Pass was established in the Jialing River Valley, but now it has been moved to the Bailongjiang River Valley.
Alas, the road to Shu is difficult!
At that time, the Northern Expedition will probably be difficult for Guanzhong.
As for the troops entering Longyou, it was also difficult to transport food, fodder and baggage, and the northwest was barren and could not be supported by war, so they had to find a place to farm.
Zheng Pu frowned and half-closed his eyes, thinking quietly in his heart.
But unexpectedly, Fu Qian, who was by his side, had already called him softly several times.
It wasn't until his sleeves were pulled that he woke up from his concentration, and Zheng Pu raised his eyebrows.
"Sir, it's almost midnight, and it's time to go back and patrol the camp."
"Oh~~~Okay."
Nodding slightly, Zheng Pu turned around and went back.
While walking on the road, or having been silent for a long time and feeling bored, Fu Qian asked softly, "Sir, I have been thinking about it for the past few days, but I still don't understand. That day, sir, all the Di chiefs were released and returned. Shao Xian
Brother explained my doubts and claimed that this was a plan of division. However, those great chiefs were attacked by our army and suffered heavy losses, so they must hold grudges, so they joined forces with the same enemy to fight against our great Han. How can we talk about the plan of division?"
Well, after the battle at Jinggu Road that day, many tribal chiefs of the Di people were captured.
When Zheng Pu inquired about the prisoners, he learned that the chief officer at Yinping Bridge was Diwang Fuzhang of Wudu who had led troops to respond to Ma Chao, so he released all the chiefs.
Just to let them bring a sentence to Fu Zhang.
"Now that King Di is defeated, he who rebels against Wei will be taken lightly, and the thieves who are strong will be annoyed. The bridgehead is the throat of Shu and Long, and it is a battleground for military strategists! How can they treat King Di as before?"
Naturally, doing so is sowing discord.
But it makes Fu Zhang unable to help but doubt himself.
Originally, among the Qiang and Di tribes, the law of mergers and acquisitions of the weak and the strong prevailed.
Moreover, Fu Zhang was the King of Di in Wudu, and he did not want to be moved against the Wei Dynasty, so he came south to attach himself to King Di of Yinping.
And guarding the bridgehead is a sign of sincerity: using your own tribe and tribe as the first line of defense against the Han army.
But this defeat broke the previous tacit understanding.
For the sake of the stability of Longyou and Wudu, Ni Wei would never allow such an important place as Yinping Qiaotou to be guarded by Fu Zhang.
As for Yin Ping Di Wang Qiang Duan, it was inevitable that he would have the thought that the talisman had no use value.
After all, Fu Zhang led his tribe south and occupied many pastures and acres that originally belonged to his tribe. The pros and cons of both sides were already unequal.
Therefore, another idea will prevail.
If Qiang Duan unites with the Wei army and annexes Fu Zhang's tribe, everyone will be happy.
For the strong end, it increases the strength of their own tribe.
As for Ni Wei, the people of Yin and Ping are united, which can better serve as a barrier for Longyou.
As for Zheng Pu, why he released all the tribal chiefs back was to put pressure on Fu Zhang.
These chieftains were all defeated due to mistakes in the deployment of Fu Zhang. As a result, countless tribesmen died in battle and were captured. They must have felt annoyed when the tribe declined, and then they did their best to slander Fu Zhang.
Three people make a tiger, and a crowd of words makes a gold.
Over time, even if Qiang Duan has no intention of annexation, Fu Zhang will still feel that he has been rejected by Yin Ping.
The relationships among them are complicated and complicated, and naturally it is not something that Fu Qian, who is only twelve years old, can understand clearly.
Therefore, when Zheng Pu heard about it, he didn't explain much.
But his tone was indifferent and he did not explain the confusion, "The first step is to attack the enemy with the enemy, then the second is to attack the enemy, and then the second is to attack the army. If you have thoroughly studied the "Warring States Policy", you will understand the reason."
"Oh~~~"
Fu Qian was a little embarrassed and did not dare to ask any more questions.
However, he did not remain silent for long, and continued to ask, "Sir, can you explain to me why you didn't take the opportunity to march to the bridge to garrison? Do you know that occupying the bridge is to prevent the Wei army from leading an army to fight for it? However, I also asked
We have passed Brother Shao and Brother Yoshihiro. If our army followed behind and defeated the troops in front, it would not be difficult to seize the bridgehead and garrison it. By then, if we capture the bridgehead, we can take the bandits' supplies and provisions, and then return to the main army.
Better?"
"Heh~~~~"
Zheng Pu turned his head and squinted his eyes, looking at the boy next to him in surprise, and laughed softly.
This also made Fu Qian look even more confused, and couldn't help but ask again, "Sir, is there something wrong with what I said?"
"Not at all."
This time, Zheng Pu did not avoid the topic and explained patiently, "It is true that the bandit army returned with a great defeat, so our army can take the opportunity to encircle and defeat the bridge garrison. However, the war cannot be limited to one city and one city.
Gains and losses of the land. Let me ask you, if you were a traitor, or if you rebelled against Guo Huai, the governor of Yongzhou in the Wei Dynasty, and learned that the bridgehead was breached, what would you do?"
"Um"
After lowering his head and thinking for a moment, Fu Qian said with certainty, "If I were them, even if I didn't lead the army to attack Baishui Pass, I would still deploy heavy troops to guard the bridgehead, and send troops to patrol Jinggu Road every day."
"Yes."
Zheng Pu smiled, stopped and looked at him, and asked again, "Let me ask you again, if the thieves deploy heavy troops at the bridge, how will Baishui Pass respond?"
Oh~~~
Naturally, we increased our troops and stood firm to prevent thieves from taking advantage of us.
Fu Qian said in his heart, and suddenly realized, "Sir, I know it! It is because I, the great Han Dynasty, have not yet arrived for the Northern Expedition, try to avoid wasting time with the Wei soldiers."
“Those who do not plan for the overall situation cannot plan for one area.”
Zheng Pu, who was walking forward again, warned, "Young man, please remember that as a general, you must not be greedy for small gains and miss the big ones."
"promise!"
Just act and speak.
The disciple asked and the teacher clarified the doubts. Through detailed instructions, Zheng Pu crushed his own abilities and taught them to the young Fu Qian.
Just as Prime Minister Zhuge Liang said to Zhao Yun in Xiaoting, it will take more than one generation to conquer the Central Plains.
Cultivating younger generations who can inherit the mantle is also a step forward in reviving the Han Dynasty.
A night of silence.
The next day, at Chenshi, Zheng Pu finally arrived, and Ma Dai sent people to greet him.
But Yang Ji, who had returned to Yang'ankou a long time ago, came with two hundred horses.
Unexpectedly, Zhang Bao also came.
If Huo Yi hadn't taken the lead to greet him and greeted him happily, Zheng Pu wouldn't have been able to believe that the man in front of him, with his neatly trimmed beard, gentle brows, and a faint air of "poetry and calligraphy in his belly", was actually Zhang Che.
The eldest son who rides.
However, the body, which is more than eight feet long and resembles a bear, and the loud laugh, are quite consistent with his father's heroic spirit of being "an enemy of ten thousand people".
After some polite greetings, we set off.
Yang Ji spread out his 200 cavalrymen in a semi-fan shape, alerting them to any movement within ten miles to the west.
Zhao Guang led his headquarters to lead the way, and Huo Yi's soldiers drove the captured war horses and baggage behind. Zheng Pu, who was very leisurely, was leisurely listening to Fu Qian's reading and walking slowly in the middle of the army.
Sometimes when I get interested, I will play an impromptu tune on the flute, just like going on an outing.
But he didn't notice that Zhang Bao, who was reminiscing with Huo Yi behind him, would cast curious eyes on him from time to time.
In other words, as the governor of Guangshi, he came with Yang Ji because he had some ulterior motives.
The march from Guancheng to Yang'ankou takes roughly two days.
As for Zheng Pu and his entourage, they only set off near noon, so they camped twice in the wild.
On the second day of camp, we arrived at the point where the Yudai River merges into the Han River. There was no need to worry about attacks or harassment from Wei troops or Di tribes.
Therefore, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
The soldiers gathered in groups in front of the bonfire, waiting for the evening meal, laughing and dancing.
The Nanzhong barbarians, who were on their first expedition, each clasped their fingers and thought about what they could gain from their victory and what they could bring to their families.
The imperial court's current strict rules on rewards and punishments were instilled in them on the first day they became soldiers.
For the seizures in this battle, the imperial court will definitely reward them with money and silk.
Moreover, Zheng Pu, Zhao Guang and Huo Yi all claimed that they took nothing from it and distributed it equally to their soldiers.
However, the proportions of division are slightly different.
Half of it will be divided first and awarded to those who died in battle or who were injured and retired, and the rest will be divided equally.
For this, the soldiers of Nan Zhong were all extremely grateful.
After all, what they are most worried about is that they died in the war and their family members who have migrated to Shu will find it difficult to survive.
As for Zhao Guang and Huo Yi's Lao Peng Bu Qu, they were making noises.
They all encouraged their respective superiors to ask Zhao Guang or Huo Yi to ask if they could kill a few captured sheep for tooth sacrifice.
In the end, even Yang Ji followed the clamor and jokingly asked Zheng Pu to reward his people for their hard work of traveling hundreds of miles to meet him.
As a result, the aroma of roasted mutton filled the entire Yudai River.
According to custom, Zheng Pu patrolled the camp to see that all the soldiers had eaten well. After returning to the military tent and sleeping, he returned to have a meal.
But he saw a fire in front of his military tent. Zhang Bao was sitting on the bed with a wine bag in his arms, laughing with Fu Qianyan who was roasting mutton and warming rice.
Seeing Zheng Pu return, he stood up, shook the wine bag slightly, and said with a gurgling smile.
"I brought some wine and came here to drink with Zijin."
Hey, are you looking for me if you need anything?
"Thank you Wen Rong for your kindness."
Zheng Pu was slightly surprised, but also smiled happily, "To be honest, I haven't smelled the smell of alcohol in months!"
He grabbed a bed and sat down on it. Zheng Pu took the rice and mutton handed over by Fu Qian and said, "Brother Wen Rong, please wait a moment. I'll satisfy my hunger first."
"Okay, Zijin can help himself."
Zhang Bao, who had already used Mu Shi, nodded with a smile.
When he was young, Zheng Pu hurriedly finished eating, so he found a reason to send Fu Qian and his retinue to the Begging House to rest.
Zhang Bao also handed over the wine bag with a smile.
The two of them came and went, chatting and laughing happily.
When the wine bag bottomed out, Zhang Bao looked solemn, raised his hands and asked.
"I heard before that the Prime Minister often praised Zijin for his strategic ideas. Later Liu Xiuran became my deputy, and I often heard him mention Zijin's achievements in planning when he went to conquer Zanggao County. Yesterday I met with Shaoxian and Yihong After talking freely, I learned about Zijin's plan to lure the enemy by setting up the Fujing Valley Road. Therefore, I am very impressed, and I also have some doubts and want to ask him for advice. I hope Zijin will not hesitate to understand me."
"Don't dare to take it seriously."
He hurriedly returned the gift, and Zheng Pu responded calmly, "If Wen Rong doesn't think I'm stupid, you can ask me anything. If I'm thoughtful, I won't have any excuses."
"good!"
After applauding, Zhang Bao asked directly, "Zijin thinks, when the time comes for our Han Dynasty to make the Northern Expedition, where is the best place to send our troops?"
"Longyou."
Without thinking, Zheng Pu blurted out.
Hearing this, Zhang Bao couldn't help being slightly shocked, but then he smiled and said, "It turns out that Zijin has already thought about it. Well, I would like to hear the details."
"Okay. Let me just say, if there is anything wrong, I hope Wen Rong will correct me."
With a slight nod, Zheng Pu began to speak eloquently.
"The Northern Expedition was against the Wei Dynasty. We could not send troops to the three eastern counties, Guanzhong, and Longyou Tianshui. We took Yinping and took the Qiang Road to the head of the Longxi River. There were four places to choose from."
"To march into the Three East Counties, we must rely on the Han River. However, the water here is very fast, making it easy to advance and difficult to retreat. It is not a good place to use troops. Moreover, seizing the Three East Counties will not be of great benefit to our great Han Dynasty, and it is not the first choice."
"By taking the head of the Longxi River, we can capture Jincheng and the Huangshui River Valley and march to Liangzhou. However, the battle line is too long and it is inconvenient to transport grain and baggage. If the Wei Dynasty sends a large force to attack Yinping, our army will not be able to look after each other."
"To take Guanzhong is to take risks. In recent years, the Qiang and Hu people in the northwest have frequently raised troops to rebel against Wei. The rebel Wei has stationed many troops in Guanzhong and Yongliang prefectures, and has rushed reinforcements from Luoyang and Hedong to march into Guanzhong, but they arrived overnight. I
If the army enters Guanzhong, it will be unable to fight with a small number of soldiers, and it will be difficult to sustain food and crops if there are many soldiers. Furthermore, our Han Dynasty is now in decline, and our military strength is not as good as that of the people who rebelled against Wei, and we have no cavalry to support each other. Therefore, the land in Guanzhong is not the same.
The battle can be decided."
"If you take Longyou, it will be different."
"The first is the strength of the troops. Luoyang and Guanzhong march to Longyou, and the rescue is not a day's work. When our army leaves Longyou, we can guard the road and turn against Wei to reinforce the army outside."
"Second, it's the people's hearts. The Wei Dynasty caused excessive killings in Yongliang Prefecture, and also forcibly relocated many Qiang and Hu tribes. The people's resentment is overwhelming. If our army comes, they will definitely respond, which can get twice the result with half the effort!"
"Third, it's the geographical advantage. There are also four fortresses on the right side of Longyou. If our army captures it, we can garrison the fields and accumulate strength to defend ourselves. It's like adding another Hanzhong county!"
"The fourth is animal husbandry. By seizing Longyou, the imperial court can obtain the land for animal husbandry, the cattle can plow the fields, and the horses can fight. Without ten years of hard work, the imperial court will have sufficient food and thousands of horses. By then, from Hanzhong and
The two armies of Long and You are sweeping through Guanzhong. Can Wei An defeat the evil?"
"The fifth is the morale of the army. By winning Longyou, it cuts off the connection between Guanzhong and the four counties in Hexi against the Wei Dynasty. It is not difficult for our army to go west to recapture the four counties in Hexi; it is not difficult to reopen the Silk Road. The Bashu nobles are
To pursue the interests of the Western Regions, the imperial court will inevitably support the imperial court in its battles. The imperial court can divide the wealthy families and move them to Longyou to solve the turmoil caused by the amalgamation of land by the wealthy families and the invasion of the people. By then, the imperial court will have enough troops and food, and will work together to conquer the Central Plains. It will be just around the corner!"
Oh~~~~~
After Zhang Bao listened, his eyes were dull and he was stunned for a long time.
He really couldn't imagine that Zheng Pu could analyze the pros and cons of our enemies and the people of Bashu so deeply.
Is this someone who has never been to Yizhou?
Or should we say that this is what it means to strategize and win a thousand-mile victory?
It was also unbelievable that Zheng Pu, who had only met him for two days, did not hide anything private and told everything he was thinking.
He is truly an unparalleled talent!
It’s also possible to become a life-threatening acquaintance!
It took a while for Zhang Bao to react.
Immediately, he stood up, bowed, and said passionately, "Hearing Zijin's words made me suddenly enlightened. Now I know why the Prime Minister praised Zijin so much that he can be on par with Yihou in the future! What I said is that Zijin is more than Yihou!
"
"It's too much! It's too much!"
He quickly stood up and helped Zhang Bao up. Zheng Pu shook his head and smiled bitterly, "Wen Rong offends me too. You and I are just expressing our opinions and chatting, but Wen Rong is acting like this. How can you and I sit here and laugh and talk evil again?"
"Hahaha~~~~"
Zhang Bao, who had a rather heroic temperament, laughed after standing up.
He also nodded repeatedly, "Okay! Okay! Just like Zijin said, you and I are just chatting, and we don't stick to the red tape."
After laughing for a while, the two sat down again.
Unexpectedly, Zhang Bao suddenly sighed and said, "Hey, I'm not going to hide it from Zijin. I thought before that if our troops were divided into two groups, one would go to the Baoxie Valley to cut off Wei Longyou's troops, and the other to the Ziwu Valley to surprise Chang'an.
The first choice is to win the land of Guanzhong in one battle. But now it seems that there are many things wrong with it."
When Zheng Pu heard this, he was suddenly shocked.
Could it be that Wei Yan and Zhang Bao discussed the Ziwu Valley plan in private?——
[Note 1: When Prime Minister Zhuge Liang attacked Chencang, Zhang He dared to assert that "Liang had already left before his ministers arrived; Qu Zhi planned to deliver grain in less than ten days." The basis was that it was difficult for Bashu and Hanzhong to transport grain through Chencang Road.