SFS Chapter 211 Liu Bei's First Meeting with Jiang Wei
Chapter 211 Liu Bei's First Meeting with Jiang Wei
Zhang Fei was overjoyed by Zhang Da's appearance and quickly reined in his horse to wait where he was.
During the Northern Expedition, he transferred Zhang Da to his son Zhang Bao. The sudden appearance of Zhang Da, who had followed Zhang Bao to Longxi, can only mean one thing: Liu Bei had already arrived in Longxi and joined forces with Zhuge Liang.
Otherwise, Zhuge Liang would not have known that he would come to Jieting, and naturally would not have sent Zhang Da.
Just as Zhang Fei had predicted, Zhang Da rushed forward and bowed, saying, "This humble general greets General Zhang. I have been ordered by the King and the strategist to disguise myself as a Wei soldier and infiltrate this area. I have been waiting for you in the nearby mountains for three days. You have finally arrived, sir."
Looking at Zhang Da's travel-worn and disheveled appearance, Zhang Fei said, "You've had a hard time. What are the King's orders?"
Zhang Da replied, "His Majesty instructed me to tell the general that the main force of Longxi has made all preparations, and if the general arrives, he can immediately launch an attack on Jieting."
"His Majesty also specifically instructed the general not to be hasty and underestimate the enemy, but to fight normally. The Longxi army is confident that it can defeat Zhang He in a head-on battle."
Zhang Fei laughed and said, "That's great. Come back to the camp with me first, and we'll discuss the specifics of what to do."
Zhang Da shook his head and said, "No, General. The King ordered me to inform you and then immediately return to Longxi to report to him. He's waiting for the general offensive."
Zhang Fei nodded in understanding and asked with concern, "You've been traveling for so many days, can your body handle it?"
Zhang Da said, "General, rest assured, I slept in the tree for three days and am now full of energy."
He arrived three days ago and has been resting these days. Although the rest conditions are not very good, he is not tired and can move around at any time.
Zhang Fei nodded and said, "That's very good. Then you should set off as soon as possible and go back to tell the king that our 20,000 troops have successfully arrived at Jieting and have enough provisions for half a month. If we are careful and go into the mountains to hunt some more, we can last for 20 days without any problem. Tell him not to worry."
"Understood." Zhang Da led his personal guards into the mountains and quickly returned to the Han army camp in Shehu Valley.
Zhang Fei returned to his camp and ordered his men to go into the mountains to cut down trees and set up camp on the spot while building siege equipment.
Jieting was not a temporary position like the one Hao Zhao established at Longban to slow down Zhang Fei's army, but a vital fortress that would determine the life or death of the Wei army. Therefore, the Wei army would definitely defend it with all its might.
Facing the elite Wei army led by Zhang He, Zhang Fei naturally wouldn't take any chances, but would make thorough preparations, spending two days just building siege equipment.
That evening, Huang Quan successfully arrived with the grain and supplies to meet with Zhang Fei. After a brief briefing, they began to discuss the attack plan.
At daybreak, Zhang Fei led his army, armed with the siege weapons they had built, to attack Jieting. Huang Quan, on the other hand, led his men into the mountains to continue cutting down trees to build various weapons and to hunt, striving to provide the army with sustained firepower.
As shouts of battle rang out, the Battle of Jieting erupted, and the general offensive to encircle and annihilate Zhang He officially began.
……
Let's go back to the day the troops were divided in Mei County.
Liu Bei, along with Zhao Yun, Ma Chao, and a hundred personal guards, quickly retreated back to Hanzhong along the Baoxie Road. Upon reaching Nanzheng, he didn't even enter the city. He gave some instructions to Ma Liang, who was stationed in Hanzhong and had come out of the city to greet him after receiving the news. Then, he rode a fast horse out of Yangping Pass and headed straight for Longxi along the Qishan Road.
No messenger was sent before the departure, because Liu Bei himself was the messenger, and he was faster than any other messenger. So why bother sending a messenger?
Liu Bei arrived at Lucheng from Qishan in just four days, and breathed a sigh of relief when he saw the Han army's battle flags flying on the city walls.
This shows that Zhuge Liang has captured Lucheng and is not blocked in the Qishan Road. Capturing Lucheng is equivalent to having a foothold and a springboard to continue the attack, which is extremely beneficial to his plan to attack Zhang He from both sides. Therefore, Liu Bei is very pleased.
He was relieved, but Chen Shi, the military commander stationed in Lucheng, was dumbfounded. Chen Shi never dreamed that Liu Bei would suddenly appear in Lucheng. Upon receiving the news, he rushed out of the city to greet him without thinking twice. He bowed before Liu Bei's horse and said, "Your subject Chen Shi greets Your Majesty. I was unaware of Your Majesty's arrival..."
Liu Bei had no time to listen to his rambling and waved his hand, saying, "Stop with the nonsense and tell me where the strategist is right now?"
Chen Shi replied, "The strategist has already captured Shanggui and is currently confronting the main force of the Wei army at Shehu Valley."
Liu Bei exclaimed excitedly, "We've already captured Shanggui and advanced to Shehu Valley! That's wonderful! Find me a guide immediately; I need to see the strategist as soon as possible."
Chen Shi looked at Liu Bei's dark circles, which were even more severe than those of a panda, and asked in surprise, "Are we leaving now? Or should we go into the city and rest for a while?"
Liu Bei came from Baoxie Road. He didn't send a messenger before he arrived to explain anything, which means he got there before the messenger.
Both Baoxie Road and Qishan Road are mountain roads. After running all this way, Chen Shi didn't think he could keep going. Liu Bei, who was more than ten years older than him, not only ran faster than a messenger but also wanted to keep running. Are you really pushing yourself so hard, old man?
Liu Bei slapped his heavy head and cursed, "Rest my ass! We can rest after we see the strategist. Quickly send me a guide; there's no time to waste."
Chen had no choice but to send his personal guards to him. Liu Bei continued on his horse and arrived at Shehu Valley two days later. He was stopped by a patrol of soldiers as soon as he reached the entrance of the valley.
The leading patrolman was a seventeen or eighteen-year-old boy in silver armor. He rode up to Liu Bei and politely said, "Old man, this is a military camp, not a place for leisurely strolling. Please leave immediately to avoid causing any misunderstandings."
In their haste, Liu Bei and his entourage were not wearing armor, so it was normal for them to be stopped by patrolling soldiers.
Seeing the young general showing such respect to the elderly, Liu Bei couldn't help but look at him a few more times and asked with curiosity, "Young general, who are you? I know most of the Han army generals, but I've never seen you before."
Not only the generals, but Liu Bei also knew many ordinary soldiers. The Northern Expeditionary Army only had 40,000 to 50,000 people. Old Liu had lived and worked with the soldiers for many years. Even if he couldn't remember their names, he would recognize them. At least they looked familiar. But he had never seen the young general in front of him before.
The boy replied, "My name is Jiang Wei, courtesy name Boyue. Are you looking for someone? If so, I can help you inform them, but you must stay here and cannot go any further."
Liu Bei laughed and said, "Sure, please help me find the strategist Zhuge Liang. If you can't find Zhuge Liang, find Guan Ping and Zhang Bao, Feng Xi and Zhang Nan, Fu Kuang and Zhao Rong, or any of the captains."
No matter who it is, as long as they know Liu Bei and can prove his identity, that's enough.
Jiang Wei's pupils contracted slightly, and his gaze toward Liu Bei became more serious.
This old man can name so many Han generals; he must be quite something.
He didn't dare to delay and quickly turned around, shouting towards the woods behind him, "Brother Xingguo, wake up! Someone's looking for you."
Zhang Bao, who was fast asleep in the woods, slowly walked out upon hearing this, yawning and muttering, "Who is it? Why can't people sleep in broad daylight..."
Before he could finish speaking, he saw Liu Bei's face, and thinking he was still half asleep or hallucinating, he raised his arm and rubbed his eyes vigorously.
Upon seeing this, Liu Bei was furious. His face darkened, and he scolded, "Xingguo, you good-for-nothing! The strategist ordered you to patrol, and you're hiding away and sleeping?"
That's the right voice, it's Liu Bei himself.
Startled, Zhang Bao ran forward, asking excitedly and nervously, "Your Majesty, what brings you here?"
"Your Majesty?" Jiang Wei was dumbfounded and exclaimed in surprise.
In this world, only Cao Cao and Liu Bei can be revered as kings. Cao Cao couldn't possibly be here, so the old man before us must be...
Liu Bei glared at Zhang Bao, then turned to Jiang Wei and said in a friendly tone, "That's right, I am Liu Bei, Liu Xuande, and these two behind me are Zhao Yun, Zhao Zilong, and Ma Chao, Ma Mengqi. You should have heard of them."
"Ah...what..." Jiang Wei was so shocked that his jaw dropped, his mouth agape.