Zhang He smiled and said, "General, you can try to send someone to persuade the commander of Yangping Pass to surrender."
"What if it doesn't work?" Cao Zhen asked back.
Zhang He bowed and said, "If persuading them to surrender fails, I will lead the army to cross Zoumaling and besiege Yangping Pass tomorrow. The general can then march towards Hanzhong at his ease."
Cao Zhen thought for a few moments and nodded: "Then I'll trouble you, General. I'll send Fu Xin, who just surrendered, to deliver the letter tomorrow morning."
……
The name of the Han people comes from the Han Dynasty, the Han Dynasty comes from Liu Bang’s former title of King of Han, the King of Han comes from the land of Hanzhong, and Hanzhong comes from the Han River that flows through this place.
What’s interesting is that people nowadays often call the Han River in the western section of Hanzhong the Mian River.
Yangping Pass is located at the westernmost end of the Hanzhong Plain, facing Zoumaling to the north and Mian River to the south. It is a dangerous terrain like Tongguan, with mountains and rivers between them.
What’s more interesting is that Yangping Pass guards the Jinniu Road, which is the road from Hanzhong to Shuzhong.
Yangping Pass was intended to defend Yizhou, not Longyou and Guanzhong.
When Liu Bei attacked Hanzhong, he failed to capture Yangping Pass, so he led his army over the mountain to Dingjun Mountain and successfully separated Xiahou Yuan and Zhang He who were stationed at Yangping Pass.
Zhang He continued to stay in Yangping Pass, and Xiahou Yuan stationed his troops at the foot of Dingjun Mountain.
This led to Fa Zheng's strategy of making a feint to the east and attacking in the west, and Huang Zhong's bravery of killing Xiahou Yuan in battle.
When Cao Zhen led his army from Ju County to Hanzhong, he did not need to pass through Yangping Pass at all. Instead, he passed directly through Zoumaling on the north side of Yangping Pass and entered Hanzhong through Ma Mingge Road.
The straight-line distance between Ma Mingge Road and Yangping Pass is only six miles.
On the morning of the tenth, Cao Zhen sent Fu Xin, the magistrate of Ju County who had surrendered the day before, to Yangping Pass. Less than an hour after entering the city, Fu Xin returned to Cao Zhen.
Fu Xin cupped his hands and reported: "General, Yangping Commander Zhang Kai has agreed to submit to the Wei Dynasty."
"Hahahaha." Cao Zhen and Zhang He looked at each other, both with joy on their faces.
"County Magistrate Fu lived up to everyone's expectations and persuaded the Yangping Commander to surrender. I will commend you to His Majesty one day!"
Fu Xin cupped his hands and replied, "Yangping Commander Zhang Kai is just an ordinary man."
"I would rather say that after Zhuge Liang's three defeats in Lueyang, Chiting and Wuxing, this man's mind was already unstable."
"The 10,000 cavalrymen of the General and the General of the Western Expedition are already outside Yangping Pass. The might of their army is enough to intimidate this man. I am only trying to lure him in with the help of the General's might and the military power of the Wei Dynasty."
"How dare I boast of my achievements in front of the general?"
Zhang He seemed to have thought of something and asked, "Does this Zhang Kai recognize us?"
"I recognize him." Fu Xin nodded. "This Zhang Kai was originally the Sima in General Chen's camp. He had been stationed near Chengdu before."
"After Prime Minister Zhuge went north from Hanzhong, he withdrew the Hanzhong troops that General Wei had stationed at various passes and replaced them with troops from Chengdu."
"Zhang Kai was just promoted to captain in the second half of last year."
Zhang He turned to look at Cao Zhen: "This man was originally a subordinate of Chen Shi. It's not surprising that he recognized you."
"Back then, Chen Shi led more than ten battalions to cross Zoumaling Mountain, intending to cut off our army's food supply route from Ma Mingge Road. He was defeated by Xu Huang's army, and his corpses were scattered all over the valley. This Zhang Kai should have survived that time."
Cao Zhen nodded: "Send an order, let Xiahou He lead his troops to enter the pass first and control all the important places."
"Also, disarm all the Shu troops who surrendered and put them under guard, and tell them that the court will issue rewards soon!"
"Yes, sir!" The military officer standing in the tent received the order and then went out of the tent to find Xiahou He to pass on the message.
Xiahou and...
Zhang He repeated this man's name twice in his mind, but did not say anything.
Xiahou He was the seventh son of Xiahou Yuan, who had died at the foot of Dingjun Mountain not far east of Yangping Pass.
In the past, Xiahou Yuan died and the Wei Dynasty lost Hanzhong for more than eight years.
Now that the Wei army has returned here, Cao Zhen chooses to let Xiahou Yuan’s son enter the city first!
The general knows how to behave!
Although General Cao Zhen, who was sitting in the center of the tent, was quite happy to be flattered by Fu Xin, his heart was as clear as a mirror.
It was not that Cao Zhen's title of general was so useful. The reason why Yangping Duwei decided to surrender was simply because he was worried about the future of Shu Han and the approaching army of Cao Zhen.
There are so many soldiers under the city, and the Shu army is not here now. What can we do if we don't surrender?
Just as the three counties of Nangan, Tianshui and Guangwei in Longyou surrendered to Shu in the past, so did Juxian and Yangping surrender to Wei today.
General truth.
No one is a fool, how could they not recognize the cavalry outside Yangping Pass? Did the Shu army have 10,000 cavalry?
However, no matter what Cao Zhen thought, he still had to report the reward for Fu Xin, the magistrate of Ju County, and reward Zhang Kai, the commander of Yangping.
It's about the political credibility of Wei! There are still cities in Hanzhong that have not been taken, and we need examples like Fu and Zhang to lead.
Cao Zhen stood up and looked at Zhang He with a smile on his face: "Yangping Pass surrendered in less than half a day, and the next one is Mianyang."
"General Zhang, you should wait for the arrival of the rear army at Yangping Pass. I will leave Xiahou He and his 3,000 cavalry to you."
Zhang He stood up and bowed, "As ordered! When the rear army arrives at Yangping Pass, I will have Guo Huai lead 3,000 men to guard here."
"The rest of the infantry and Xiahou He's troops will follow the general to attack the cities in Hanzhong."
"Very good!" Cao Zhen nodded in response.
Cao Zhen did not enter Yangping Pass after all. With Zhang He in charge, whether he entered or not would not have any impact on the situation. On the contrary, the most important thing was to march eastward to Mianyang, Nanzheng and other counties.
……
Zhuge Liang broke out from Wuxing to the south at Chou time on the eighth day, in the late night before dawn.
Yang'an Pass is just a hundred miles south of Wuxing. On the morning of the tenth, when Cao Zhen sent people to persuade Yangping Pass to surrender, Zhuge Liang had just arrived at Yang'an Pass.
There is only one character difference between Yang'an Pass and Yangping Pass. If it were not for the generals who had been to Hanzhong during their march, some people might have confused them.
The geographical function of Yangping Pass, which controlled the Jinniu Road and separated Hanzhong and Shuzhong, became less important after Liu Bei occupied both Hanzhong and Shuzhong at the same time.
So Liu Bei chose another place on the Jinniu Road that was closer to Shuzhong and was also an important place connecting Wudu and Hanzhong, and built Yang'an Pass.
In the original history, during the Northern Song Dynasty, Yang'an Pass was renamed Yangping Pass, and the Yangping Pass closer to Hanzhong was called "Ancient Yangping Pass".
On April 10th, the Wei army entered Yangping Pass and Zhuge Liang returned to Yang'an Pass.
Further south, Wei Yan at Baishui Pass was still confronting Lu Xun outside the pass.
Almost at the same time as Zhuge Liang arrived at Yang'an Pass was the news of the death of Zhao Yun, the General of the Eastern Frontier of Shu Han.
"Prime Minister, Prime Minister!"
Everyone in the hall cried out in surprise when they saw Zhuge Liang become unsteady and shaky upon hearing the news of his death.
Xiang Lang, who was closest to Zhuge Liang, was quick to take two steps forward and support Zhuge Liang from the side.
Zhuge Liang waved his right hand, stood firmly, and then raised his left sleeve to support his forehead.
The blood rushed to his head, his temples throbbed wildly, and his head felt like it was about to explode.
Zhuge Liang didn't want others to see him lose his composure, so he had to cover it up by holding his forehead.
If this happened for the first time, Zhuge Liang might be at a loss as to what to do.
As important generals of the country, Guan Yu and Zhang Fei had both died unexpected deaths. With such stories in the past, Zhao Yun's death in the army due to illness was already a good ending!
Zhuge Liang thought so in his heart, but he couldn't suppress the feeling of sadness. His fingers trembled slightly, and the muscles all over his body became a little stiff.
Although it was not a bad death for Zhao Yun himself, the General Zhendong had passed away and the country had lost another important general.
All the generals who led the army before the late emperor in Jingzhou have died. Without Zhao Yun's protection, there is no one in the army with more experience than Zhuge Liang.
It didn't seem strange when Zhao Yun was alive, but after Zhao Yun's death, the late emperor and his era seemed to be three points away from Zhuge Liang.
The words of the restoration of the Han Dynasty are still fresh in our ears!
The memories of working with Zhao Yun over the years flashed through his mind. The more Zhuge Liang felt sad, the more determined he became.
Taking a deep breath, Zhuge Liang lowered his arms.
When he looked at everyone again, there was only determination between his brows.
"Send the order!"
Zhuge Liang said in a cold voice: "Order the commander of Yang'an, as well as the defenders of Mianyang, Baozhong, Nanzheng, Chenggu, and Nanxiang, to guard the city carefully and wait for reinforcements!"
"Order the Northern General Wei Yan to repel the Wei army outside Baishui Pass as quickly as possible!"
"As you command!" Yang Yi responded with a bow, but he seemed a little embarrassed to ask a few words: "Prime Minister, I have something to say but I don't know if I should say it."
"Say it!"
Yang Yi said: "If we want to send a message to various places in Hanzhong, the fastest route is of course through Yangping Pass. But if it is Yangping Pass..."
Yang Yi did not continue speaking, but everyone understood the meaning of his words.
What else could it be? Of course, we had to consider the possibility of Yangping Pass falling.
Zhuge Liang asked himself in his heart, would Yangping Pass be lost so quickly?
After changing his mind, Zhuge Liang smiled bitterly again.
How did Xixian surrender in Longyou at the end of last year? How did Jixian, Linwei and other cities surrender?
It’s because the Han army is closer and the Wei army is farther away, it’s that simple.
Are you only allowed to be the first one, but not the Wei army? The possibility of the fall of Yangping Pass must be taken into account.
Zhuge Liang sighed softly: "Where should Li Yan be now?"
On March 15th, Zhuge Liang sent a letter from Chiting to Li Yan in Jiangzhou, asking Li Yan to take the Micang Road and lead an army of 10,000 north to Hanzhong.
From Chiting to Nanzheng, and then south to Jiangzhou via Migang Road, it is a journey of 1,200 miles and it takes ten days for the messenger to deliver the news.
If you count it this way...
Yang Yi responded, "Prime Minister, even if Li Yan gathered his troops and marched north in three or five days, he has only been on the march for more than ten days, so he should still be in Hanchang."
"What's more, we haven't received a reply from Li Yan yet." Yang Yi gritted his teeth and said, "I think we should not pin our hopes on Li Yan."
Zhuge Liang's heart was pounding, and he seemed to have a bad premonition.
Did Li Yan really send troops?
What if he didn't move? (End of this chapter)
