"How many days can you defend it?"
After Xiahou Xian repeated Lu Xun's words, he still had doubts in his heart, so he asked Lu Xun: "Then should we attack Baishui Pass?"
"We need to attack, but we must defend here more importantly, and defense is more important than attack." Lu Xun said with a smile.
"General Xiahou, why do you think His Majesty sent you and me here?"
Xiahou Xian didn't even think about it: "It must be to let us scratch Zhuge Liang's back, so that your majesty's army can accumulate advantages in the battle against Zhuge Liang!"
"How can we accumulate the advantage?" Lu Xun muttered to himself. He walked out of the tent and looked at the Baishui Pass not far away. "Should we take down Baishui Pass and then attack Jiameng and Jiange? Or should we go north and walk 150 miles along the Jinniu Road, go deep into the enemy's territory and attack Yang'an Pass, putting ourselves in a desperate situation?"
Xiahou Xian was silent for a moment, then he clasped his hands and said, "General Lu, please give me some advice."
When Xiahou Xian used the words "guidance" this time, he was indeed seeking advice with an open mind.
Lu Xun said with emotion: "The emperor has given his will, and as subjects, you and I must do our best to be loyal. But if we want to serve the emperor better, we have to think more."
"Zhuge Liang led his army to invade Wei. He was a minister commanding the whole country. Moreover, Shu had only been established for seven years, and it had lost its emperor. The new emperor had not yet taken power. Although he plundered the prefectures and counties to support his army in the Northern Expedition, there would be resentment among the people. He only suppressed it by relying on the righteousness of restoring the Han Dynasty."
"Zhuge Liang gathered power by relying on the righteousness of restoring the Han Dynasty. But when he was thinking about the Han Dynasty, he couldn't help but consider the 'Han Emperor' Liu Chan who was in Chengdu!"
Xiahou Xian said: "You and I have come to Baishui Pass, so we must attack and rescue them!"
"General Xiahou is right!" Lu Xun chuckled. "As long as we stay at Baishui Pass for one day, Zhuge Liang will definitely send a large army to rescue us, and they will send troops that they think can defeat us."
"Baishui Pass is the key to Shu. Zhuge Liang is the prime minister of Shu. The king and the people are all in the south. How can he just leave it alone?"
Xiahou Xian thought for a few moments and replied, "Then this is to tie up the troops. So General Lu is thinking about how to tie down more troops of the Shu army?"
After all, Lu Xun was a top strategic general in the world, and his overall view was also first-rate. Explaining something to Xiahou Xian at this time was like giving him a lesson.
Lu Xun said slowly: "The so-called military strength is just a manifestation of the Shu army's combat power."
"When the Shu army goes north from Yizhou to Hanzhong, or transports grain to Hanzhong, they must pass through Jinniu Road, Baishui Pass, and where our camp is now."
"You and I are here to, first, cut off the transportation of food and grass through the Jinniu Road, second, let Zhuge Liang lead a large army to rescue us, and third, hold out long enough to confront the Shu army that comes to rescue us."
"More importantly, we have to leave a way out for you and me!" Lu Xun's expression gradually became serious: "If you and I rush to attack and take Baishui Pass, the Shu army will come from the north, and we will have to go out to deal with it, otherwise our way back will be blocked."
"General Lu is right!" Xiahou Xian nodded and said, "Now is the critical time for Your Majesty to naturalize millions of Qiang people and accumulate national strength. General Lu is the general who protects the Qiang. If he is defeated or too many Qiang people are killed or injured, I am afraid that the situation in Longyou, which has been improving, will be unstable in an instant."
"I led the cavalry of the Central Army here, all the way from Luoyang to Longyou, from Longyou to Wudu, and from Wudu to Baishui. The morale of the army is not as high as it was in Longyou in the past."
Lu Xun sighed: "General Xiahou, do you know that I have received great favor from Your Majesty?"
How could Xiahou Xian not know?
Lu Xun was granted the title of county marquis and appointed as the General Protector of the Qiang. Although this was not as good as the political treatment he received in the Wu State, it was extremely generous for a surrendered general.
Not to mention marrying the princess to Lu Xun!
After nodding slightly, Xiahou Xian did not answer.
Lu Xun continued, "From Shanggui to Lintao, and then to Dangchang and Dazhong, I can increasingly understand how difficult it is to achieve this situation. We must maintain this hard-won situation!"
"If you and I are not careful here, we will be in danger of being overturned! If the 20,000 troops retreat, they can come back another day. If we are not here, I am afraid that it will take a long time to conquer Shu."
Xiahou Xian sighed and agreed.
Whether out of public or private interests, Lu Xun at this moment thought that it was enough to fight to Baishui Pass, attracting the Shu army to come back for support, thereby sharing the military pressure on the front line and cutting off the Shu army's food supply.
Although Lu Xun also went to Yinping, he was not as bold as Deng Ai and Deng Shizai who originally intended to attack Chengdu. This was not only a comparison of the ability and mentality of the generals, but also determined by the current situation.
At present, the Wei Dynasty and Shu Han have been fighting each other for half a year. Although there is a difference in strength, we cannot underestimate the enemy.
Longyou was already in ruins, the Qiang people had just surrendered, Baishui was deep in the hinterland, and there were still powerful enemies in the north.
According to the original history, at the end of Shu Han, a total of 180,000 Wei troops were divided into three routes and marched south.
In addition to Deng Ai's 30,000 Longyou troops, Zhong Hui and Zhuge Xu still had nearly 150,000 troops. With this number of people, they were able to capture Baishui Pass, but they were still unable to take Jiange.
At that time, Shu Han was a small and weak country, and its strength was far behind that of Wei.
At present, Wei was not that strong, and Shu Han was not that weak. Lu Xun was able to contain the enemy a little, which was a move to win the victory. How could he do more?
……
Outside Baishui Pass, Lu Xun carried out a low-intensity siege while actively preparing for defense with Xiahou Xian and others. After leaving 1,000 cavalrymen and Qiang cavalrymen in Dazhong, Lu and Xiahou only had 18,000 men here.
The Qiang people have just surrendered, so it would be fine to let them attack as light cavalry, but it would be wishful thinking to expect these young and strong Qiang people who were still grazing three months ago to attack the city.
Therefore, Lu Xun could only drive the Qiang people to build fortifications, dig trenches, and set up camps, preparing to fight against the Shu army that came to support.
Wuxing to Yang'an Pass was 100 li away, and Yang'an Pass to Baishui Pass was 150 li away. Zhao Yun led his army to reach the destination in four days, a distance of 250 li.
When Zhao Yun arrived at the northeast of Baishui Pass, it was already noon on the seventh day of April.
During the four days that Zhao Yun traveled from Wuxing to Baishui Pass, the situation between Hanzhong and Xiabian changed dramatically.
In the early morning of April 3rd, Zhuge Liang received news at the Chiting camp that something had happened at Baishui Pass and that Zhao Yun was leading 8,000 soldiers to march south first.
On the same day, Wei Yan led 14,000 troops south.
On the fifth day, Zhuge Liang's army was defeated at Chiting, and Wu Yi withdrew first.
On the sixth day, most of the Shu army retreated. Cao Zhen led the 10,000 cavalrymen who had just arrived from Shanggui on the evening of the fifth day, and joined forces with 20,000 infantrymen, and followed the Shu army southwards in pursuit of Wuxing.
Zhao Yun, despite his illness, led his army south to the Baishui Pass. Before he set up camp, scouts sent by Lu Xun had already learned the news.
Zhao Yun had long received news that the Wei cavalry was invading Baishui Pass. How could he not be prepared, considering his cautious behavior? Facing the attacking Wei cavalry and Qiang cavalry, Zhao Yun set up a battle array to resist them, used bows and spears to resist several attacks by the Wei army, and then retreated calmly and set up camp eight miles northeast of Baishui Pass.
"Zhao Yun is still so cautious when using his troops. He first considers defeat and then seeks victory!" Lu Xun sighed softly after learning about the military intelligence from the scouts in the camp.
"General Xiahou, how many troops can Zhao Yun have today?" Lu Xun asked.
"It's hard to say." Xiahou Xian said with a serious expression: "When I was in the army watching Zhao Yun forming the battle array, he had no intention of panicking or retreating. Instead, he held out against my cavalry. Only after I was ordered to retreat did Zhao Yun retreat calmly."
"seem……"
Lu Xun frowned: “What?”
"He seems to be fearless!" Xiahou Xian guessed.
Intrepid?
How could Zhao Yun remain so confident? There must be reinforcements behind him!
"Pass on my order!" Lu Xun instructed the guards beside him, "Let Zhi Wudai lead 4,000 Qiang cavalry to retreat 30 miles and set up a camp that can accommodate the entire army at a strategic location northwest of Baishui Pass! The rest of the Qiang cavalry will follow me!"
"Yes, sir." The guard immediately went out of the tent to pass on the order.
Lu Xun turned around and talked to Xiahou Xian: "General Xiahou, the current situation depends on how we can hold our own against the Shu army."
"Please send General Fei to defend the camp with me, and General Xiahou and General Cheng to retreat four miles to the northeast."
Xiahou Xian thought for a few moments and asked, "General Lu, are you planning to lure the Shu army to attack our camp and have the cavalry charge outside?"
"That's right." Lu Xun nodded and said, "Since Zhao Yun is here and is so confident, I'm afraid the Shu army will need more troops later!"
"Simply defending the camp will not show the advantage of the Wei cavalry."
"I and Fei Yao's 4,000 men will stay in the camp, and the remaining 5,000 Qiang people will help defend the camp. At the same time, General Xiahou and General Cheng will provide support from outside. We should be able to hold off the Shu army for some time!"
Xiahou Xian's eyes showed worry: "General Lu's assignment is certainly correct, but I don't know how long it can last."
Lu Xun still said what he said two days ago: "General Xiahou, don't think about these things that have no answers. Just hold on for as many days as you can!"
Zhao Yun camped outside Baishui Pass and confronted the Wei army, on the one hand waiting for Wei Yan's reinforcements. On the other hand, Zhao Yun's physical condition had further deteriorated.
Life is almost a matter of moments.
The Shu army set up camp on the afternoon of the 7th. On the evening of the 8th, Wei Yan led 14,000 soldiers on a rapid march to a place not far from Zhao Yun's camp.
Wei Yan almost did not stop for a moment. After hearing the messenger sent by Zhao Yun's army report that Zhao Yun's health was worrying, he hurriedly led the army with his personal guards and rushed into the camp.
"It's Wen Chang who's here." Zhao Yun was lying on the couch. The moment he looked up and saw Wei Yan, a smile appeared on the corner of his mouth.
"General Zhao, how is your health?" Wei Yan hurriedly walked forward and knelt in front of Zhao Yun. Looking at Zhao Yun's pale and old face, he couldn't help but sigh.
Seeing Wei Yan's increasingly sad face, Zhao Yun said calmly: "I guessed that the Prime Minister would send Wen Chang to help me, and today I really saw you." (End of this chapter)
