In the morning, Guo Huai led his men out of the west gate and set up camp on the north bank of the Wei River.
At this time, Zhang He was exhausted and led his cavalry at a rapid speed on the Longshan Road.
The Longshan Road was 600 li long, and Zhang He set out early in the morning of December 1. Just before noon, about 100 li from Shanggui, Zhang He ran into the messenger sent by Guo Huai.
Zhang He sat on his horse with a tired look on his face. The high-intensity march of 120 miles a day for four consecutive days was too much for even this strong veteran.
After receiving Guo Huai's battle report from the messenger, Zhang He read it carefully and sighed softly: "Could it be that we will encounter the Shu army tomorrow?"
"What does the commander-in-chief mean?" asked Chen Ping, a military officer standing beside him on horseback.
"You can read it yourself." Zhang He threw Guo Huai's military report to Chen Ping: "The Shu army has about 20,000 infantrymen and is expected to advance north along the Longshan Road early this morning."
"One hundred and twenty miles, it will take three days at the slowest and two days at the fastest. We should be there by then."
Zhang He raised his left hand and made a gesture, turned his horse's head, and began to walk slowly in the direction he came from.
Lueyang City is only twenty miles to the north, and the Shu army can arrive there at the earliest tomorrow, so Zhang He is not in a hurry.
But the military officer Chen Ping beside him could not help but get nervous: "Report to the commander-in-chief, the Shu army has 20,000 infantry, but we only have 2,000 cavalry!"
Zhang He raised his lips slightly and said with a smile: "No problem, I will ask for it."
Chen Ping was still a little puzzled. Seeing that Zhang He's expression had changed from the gloomy look of several days to calm and even happy, he felt really baffled.
But Zhang He did this for his own reasons.
Suppressed the Yellow Turbans, attacked Gongsun Zan, faced off at Guandu, pacified Hebei, went on an expedition to Wuhuan, conquered Huainan, marched to Guanyou…
Over the past decades, Zhang He has fought in countless battles, both large and small, and is truly a veteran of many battles.
Zhang He's worries and entanglements over the past few days were only due to the unknown battlefield and the uncertainty of the situation in Longyou. Now that the battlefield in front of him has been revealed, then just fight!
Chen Ping followed behind Zhang He, and as a military officer, he had already begun to calculate how to stop the enemy.
On the morning of December 1, Zhang He's 2,000 cavalry set out first, followed by the 8,000 infantry behind him. The infantry marched 70 li a day, and the city of Lueyang in the north was 480 li away from Chencang.
So……
The 8,000 infantrymen behind will arrive at the city of Lueyang on the night of December 7 at the earliest, or on the morning of December 8 under normal circumstances.
If the Shu army marched at the same speed, covering 60 li a day, it would take until the evening of the sixth day to reach Lueyang. If it covered 40 li a day, it would take until the evening of the seventh day.
I can only say that this timing is just barely in time, or even too coincidental!
If everything goes as expected, the 8,000 infantrymen departing from Chencang will arrive in Lueyang almost at the same time as the Shu army.
Looking at Zhang He riding his horse calmly in front of him, Chen Ping followed behind him and sighed. What is the bearing and grace of a famous general?
Among the famous generals of the time, is there anyone who can be as good as the Left General?
……
But things often don't go as planned. After the news of Zhuge Liang's army's attack was confirmed, the situation in various counties in Longyou faced a drastic change.
The first to be affected were Ji County in Tianshui County, and the three counties of Zhudao, Zhongtao and Xinxing in Longxi County.
After being rejected by Ma Zun, Gao Xiang's 1,000 cavalrymen were stationed a few miles outside Ji County. The next day, Gao Xiang received a report from a scout and witnessed with his own eyes that the governor Ma Zun led all 1,500 county soldiers to the direction of Shanggui.
Gao Xiang did not stop him.
The task assigned to Gao Xiang by Prime Minister Zhuge Liang was to rely on the mobility and deterrence of the cavalry, and to go to the various counties in Longyou to persuade them to surrender, carrying with him the titles of marquis, official positions, and rewards issued by Zhuge Liang like an assembly line.
After Ma Zun left, Gao Xiang immediately sent envoys into the city to negotiate again with the big families in the city and Yin Shang, the chief clerk of Tianshui County who was guarding the city.
On one side there is coercion and inducement, and on the other side there is flattery.
From an observer's perspective, the truth is actually very simple.
If the big families still in Ji County at this moment uphold the noble patriotism and loyalty to the Wei Dynasty and refuse to surrender, then we can only say that every big family in Ji County deserves to be given the title of Guannei Hou.
But, the governor Ma Zun led the army in the city and ran away! You, an official from Luoyang, betrayed our Ji County first, and we were just forced to do so!
However, Tianshui had indeed produced many loyal ministers before. Yang Fu, Yang Yishan, one of the four current ministers of the Wei Dynasty, was born in Ji County, Tianshui County.
In the 17th year of Jian'an, Ma Chao led the Qiang and Hu tribes to attack Longyou. The nearby counties responded one after another. In the end, only the city of Ji County resisted to the death.
It was because of his bravery in serving the country that Yang Fu was granted the title of Guannei Hou and appointed as the remote governor of Yizhou.
But that time and that moment were very different from this moment.
Ma Chao had been raising troops for more than ten years, repeatedly attacking Guanzhong, and repeatedly being defeated by the imperial court, and even indirectly killing his father, brother, and entire family who were serving in Yecheng. Such a hopeless and futureless person had long been abandoned by the discerning people in the counties of Longyou, and it was only natural that those who pretended to surrender would turn against him one day.
But can Shu Han and Ma Chao be the same thing?
One was a warlord who was at the end of his rope and could only gather the Qiang and Hu tribes to attack the Han counties; the other was a man who claimed the name of "Great Han", proclaimed himself emperor, and was better than Cao Cao in restoring his country.
At this moment, the flag of "Han" is still very appealing in Longyou.
The four major families in Ji County, Jiang, Yan, Ren and Zhao, got together and discussed the matter seriously for several days.
The conclusion was that the Jiang and Zhao families would take the lead in leaving Ji County, while the Yan and Ren families would preside over the surrender.
These four families lived in the same county, and actually had many marriages and interests. Although it was said that the Jiang and Zhao families left, they actually took away many children of the Yan and Ren families.
The Yan and Ren families who remained in the city did the same thing.
The so-called wealthy families in a county are just like grass when facing any imperial court or an army of thousands or tens of thousands.
Either surrender, run or die, leaving them little room to sit on the fence.
After struggling for several days, on the same day that Guo Huai left the city and set up camp, which was also December 5th, the county magistrate Feng Yi and the Jiang and Zhao families left Ji County and fled to Xinyang County in the east which had not yet been occupied by the Shu army.
Under the leadership of the chief clerk Yin Shang, the city gate of Ji County slowly opened to welcome Gao Xiang's troops into the city.
Gao Xiang's troops had a total of 2,000 cavalrymen, and the other 1,000 cavalrymen who went west, brought the news of Ji County's surrender and letters to Yin Shang and the Yan and Ren families, and successfully persuaded Zhongtao and Xinxing counties to surrender.
In a short time, half of Tianshui County and half of Nangan County quickly fell into Zhuge Liang's pocket.
Outside Shanggui City, the severe situation faced by Guo Huai did not improve at all.
On the afternoon of the 5th, when Guo Huai was setting up camp outside Shanggui City and completing his "bluffing" plan, the Shu army that continued to arrive from the southwest made Guo Huai completely nervous.
Yesterday, which was the fourth day, 4,000 men from Liao Hua's Central Army of Shu Han arrived near Shanggui first.
On the afternoon of the 5th, General Wei Yan, who guards the north, and General Wu Ban, who suppresses the rebellion, of the Eastern Route Army of Shu Han, totaling 11,000 people, crossed the Wei River, faced Guo Huai who was building a camp, and marched to the camp left by Ma Su and others yesterday.
For a whole day, Guo Huai only set up camp on the north bank of the Wei River and did nothing else.
On the morning of the 6th, Wei Yan and Wu Ban's 11,000 people, like Ma Su, Zhao Yun and others yesterday, ignored Shanggui City and Guo Huai's troops on the north bank of the Weishui River. After simply repairing yesterday's pontoon bridge, they continued to march northward along the Longshan Road.
Guo Huai's mood in the past few days was like a roller coaster, with ups and downs, and then ups and downs again.
On the morning of the 6th, the Shu army in the east moved north. In the afternoon, Wu Yi's 15,000 men entered the camp that Wei Yan had just vacated!
Guo Huai did not dare to be careless. While the Shu troops in both places did not make any obvious moves, he quickly rode back to the city to look for Lu Pan.
After entering the city, Guo Huai hurriedly asked, "General Lu, when you sent a letter to General Zuo along the Longshan Road the day before yesterday, did you send a letter to Guanzhong along the Weishui Road?"
Lu Pan, who was always cautious, nodded and said, "Send a letter to Guanzhong. It will only take three days to go east from Shanggui, pass Linwei, and go east along the Weishui Road to Chencang."
The right corner of Guo Huai's mouth was already inflamed and blistered, and his voice had become much hoarser. He paced in the courtyard of the Ji County government office with his hands behind his back, thinking and calculating the information gaps in various places.
On the afternoon of December 4, Guo Huai told Zhang He that the Shu army should have more than 50,000 troops.
Chencang, far away in Guanzhong, should have received this message on the evening of December 7.
But today, two days later, this message has deviated too far from the reality.
From the east of Shanggui City, the Shu army marching north along the Longshan Road had a total of 30,000 troops. At this time, there were still about 20,000 troops south of Shanggui City and on the south bank of the Wei River.
Guo Huai alone witnessed the presence of 50,000 Shu troops.
What about Ji County? What about Nan'an County? What about Longxi County?
There are also Xi County, Lucheng, Qishan along the way...where else does not need people?
Guo Huai said hurriedly: "General Lu, the Longshan Road is now on our side and has been completely blocked by the Shu army."
"Fortunately, the Weishui Road is still open! You and I should quickly draft a new battle report and send it along the Weishui Road to Chencang, Chang'an, and His Majesty!"
Lu Pan's face was also serious. In the past few days, the Shu army near Shanggui City had been coming one after another, and Lu Pan was as anxious as Guo Huai.
"Mr. Guo, how should it be written?" Lu Pan asked.
Guo Huai said: "Tell the court that on the evening of December 6, 30,000 Shu troops had already marched north along the Longshan Road, and there are still 20,000 Shu troops outside Shanggui City."
"The total strength of the Shu army should be at least 70,000 or 80,000. At least! It's possible that it could be even more!"
Guo Huai sighed deeply: "In the current situation, we can't hold on to Longyou and Guanzhong with just the troops. I hope the court and His Majesty will come to our aid soon!" (End of this chapter)
